![]() It is not yet known whether the California footballfish is male or female, but the two genders are known to differ dramatically in size - some females can measure up to ten times larger than their male counterparts. ![]() In a lightning-fast motion, it sucks the prey into its mouth, where its teeth - which point inward - ensure that what goes in doesn’t come out,” wrote the academy. “Using its esca as a lure, an anglerfish remains motionless until prey comes within striking distance. The glow of the esca comes from photobacteria that emit light, flowing into the point through small pores - when inside, they survive on the nutrition provided by the host. Sunlight doesn’t penetrate the depths at which the Pacific footballfish live and because food is scarce in the deep, their esca is a special evolutionary advantage that helps them to entice whatever fits in their mouth, from other fish to squid and crustaceans. ![]() Scientifically known as Himantolophus sagamius, the California Academy of Sciences described the Pacific football fish as having “prickly skin, needle-sharp teeth, minuscule eyes, and a strange stalk on its head.” ![]() "The deep oceans are poorly sampled, so it's possible they are common at depth, we just don't know," Catania said in an email to Snopes.Īnglerfish are identified by their illicium, a long fleshy dorsal fin that extends past the front of the mouth and has a phosphorescent bulb (or esca) on the end to emit light and lure “unsuspecting prey.” And though it's rare to have a fish of this species in a museum collection, California Academy of Science Curator of Ichthyology Dave Catania said that doesn't necessarily mean they are rare in the wild. The 18-inch fish was identified as a Pacific footballfish, a species of anglerfish that are normally found between 2,000 and 3,300 feet below the ocean surface. ![]()
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