Anglerfish are a diverse group of fish named for the lure they use to attract prey. Deep-sea anglerfish live in total darkness and have some of the strangest adaptations of any animal, including glowing lures and parasitic males.
Interesting facts
- Anglerfish lure prey with a fleshy growth on their head, like a fishing rod and bait.
- In deep-sea species, the lure glows with light made by bioluminescent bacteria.
- Their huge mouths and stretchy stomachs let them swallow prey up to twice their size.
- Female deep-sea anglers can be many times larger than males.
- Monkfish, eaten in many countries, are shallow-water anglerfish.
- Frogfish are anglerfish that ‘walk’ across the reef on their fins.
Behaviour
Most anglerfish are ambush predators that wait motionless, wiggling their lures until prey comes close enough to swallow in a split second.
Breeding and young
In deep-sea species, males use their keen sense of smell to find females in the dark. In some families, males attach permanently, and the pair spawns together.
Threats and conservation
Deep-sea species face little direct threat, although deep-sea trawling and future mining could affect them. Shallow-water monkfish are heavily fished.
Where to see it
- Deep-sea species are seen only in footage from research submersibles
- Frogfish can be seen by divers in Lembeh Strait and Anilao, Philippines
- Museum collections of preserved deep-sea fish
- Some public aquariums display frogfish and monkfish
Status source: IUCN Red List. Profile last reviewed September 2026.
