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Anglerfish wears a live flashlight on its head

Go down with your mind — 2000 meters underwater. There is not a drop of sunlight there. It is dark, cold, the pressure is like 200 atmospheres. It would seem that there is no place for life there. But it is there that one of the strangest fish in the world lives — the anglerfish.

A long «fishing rod» with a ball at the end grows straight from her head. And this ball… glows! With a gentle yellow-green light. The angler puts a flashlight in front of him, and little curious fish swim to see — oh, what’s that glowing in the dark? And the angler — hop — and has lunch.

But the most amazing thing: the light is not created by the fish itself, but by tiny bacteria that live in its flashlight! It's like renting a light bulb. The bacteria provide the light, and the angler provides them with food and a home. Everyone is happy. It's called symbiosis - when two different creatures help each other.

Another interesting thing: the father-fisherman is 100 times smaller than the mother! He is very tiny, does not know how to hunt - and simply attaches himself to the mother's side, like a badge. And lives like that all his life. The mother feeds him through her blood, and the father helps her raise the children. A strange but strong family.

Scientists know about 200 species of anglerfish. All of them inhabit depths where no scuba diver has ever been. Only underwater robots capture them on camera.

Think of the angler as a little wizard of the ocean depths—who wears his own star.