hee! that was the absolutely most PERFECT way to start my day today! Angler fish are the most delightfully hideous creatures!
Nangleatorsays
Props to the fella that figured out the male of the species was the male of the species, and not just a parasite who *really* enjoyed his job.
Keanussays
Perfect! Why Hollywood has not created a film using the behavior of the angler fish as a point of departure is beyond me. It’s perfect for a grade B horror film or a complex psycho-drama.
Reminds me of the bar scene back in my college daze: flashing lights in the darkness, and everyone trying to connect amid a sea of strangers…oh and plenty of parasites too!
I’m not too keen on the permanent attachment bit, but if there were to be a woman who was prepared to support me in exchange for a supply of sperm, I’d be willing to give it a go… particularly if she happened to own a brewery.
Menasays
Do they really make that wooshy scifi sound when they move their lure up and down? ;^)
I don’t like the choice of words “specially designed teeth.” They should have said “specially evolved teeth.”
I know what they meant, but it’s tiresome that victory is declared by the IDiots over use of that word (though it doesn’t mean what they think it does in that context). It’s like “theory.” I prefer that the term “scientific theory” is used when appropriate.
mussays
I <3 David Attenborough. I <3 “blue planet”.
anyway… I found this very interesting. I’d seen it before like 3 times, but two things just now occurred to me. DA says that the male gets it’s nutrients from the blood of the female circulating through him. I wonder how they achieve this. Don’t the tissues reject each other? are diseases not as much of a problem in the deep sea and they can get by without as many immune responses?
I also wonder whether the male has a specific area to bite, and whether the female has anything which facilitates such bite/attachment.
Confuseddavesays
I take it back. There is a God. His name is David Attenborough.
Part of the Life Trilogy unless I miss my guess – can’t remember which one exactly, but I’m fairly sure it’s the Living Planet. Gotta love the 80’s sound effects in there. My youth was spent (or misspent) rewatching that series over and over…
E.V.@8 – They are designed. They are a certain shape because they have a purpose. Really there’s no other term for it. The process of evolution is a natural, iterative design process. The fallacy only comes when you assume that the existence of design implies the existence of a sentient designer, or that design must be the result of a planned effort to solve a problem. The existence of design, in the context of evolution, implies neither.
recovering catholicsays
mus–
Beat me to it! I wonder if anyone’s studied immunology in angler fish…
dalersays
They forgot to mention the fact that the male’s brain, along with other now useless organs, starts to breakdown and be absorbed once he attaches himself.
twillissays
I like “adapted” over “designed”, personally.
But I figure David Attenborough can say whatever the heck he wants to.
(is it sad I had to look up how to draw mistletoe but not anglerfish?)
TTTsays
At 0:39 to 0:42, that fish looks really artificial. It looks like there’s some velvety, puppet-like mass taking up the entire mouth cavity, big enough that it actually pushes the teeth outwards–you can even see one of the central lower jaw teeth seem to tilt backwards, touch this mass, and then bounce forwards off it.
Is it just my crazy imagination, or did the BBC stretch out this sequence with a puppet? Or do the real anglers have weird fish-business going on inside their jaws when at rest?
Evasays
I wonder if more than one male can attach itself to a female.
Just sayin’.
itwasntmesays
Emmet at 10
Ha! John McCain figured it out!
Johnnysays
Great video. S.J. Gould opens up with a brief description of this (the behavior, not the video) in “Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes.” On occasion, some of the females get a case of penis envy and end up with multiple males attached… With that in mind, I’m going with hell.
Nick Gottssays
I wonder if more than one male can attach itself to a female. – Eva
Yes, I’ve seen pictures! Anyone know what the record is?
Bodachsays
As I remember, it is somehow not enough to offer a continuous supply of sperm to the female on the first date. Oh biological imperative, why do you test me so?
xebecssays
Puts a new spin on “Paradise by the dashboard light”, doesn’t it?
Blondinsays
For some reason now I’ve got this song stuck in my head:
All I want for Christmas is a bioluminescent penis…
Mike Smithsays
I’m going to make a new sign: “will ejaculate for food”
Ryan Cunninghamsays
In my experience, this works the other way in humans…
I know the feeling. I am mildly irked when evolution is unnecessarily used to explain something as well. It must have been a freudian slip on the part of the videographers.
… I am thinking that I have something in common with this angler fish. Maybe I should change my alias.
I am mildly irked when evolution is unnecessarily used to explain something as well.
You get mildly irked when evolution is used in a proper context ;)
Janine, Vile Bitchsays
What just happened? Did Randy just get snarky on me?
Snark only works when you are right.
Nerd of Redheadsays
Janine, don’t worry about Randy. He doesn’t like it when his horse loses. I’ve always wondered why he keeps posting here since everyone else seems to think he is mildly crazy. It’s not like we are going to change our minds on evolution due to his non-scientific posts on the subject.
frekisays
Confuseddave – the footage is actually from The Blue Planet series.
The sound effect they use every time the lure flashes blue makes it seem like the anglerfish is a TARDIS.
clinteassays
Emmet Caulfield spoke these wise words:
I’m not too keen on the permanent attachment bit, but if there were to be a woman who was prepared to support me in exchange for a supply of sperm, I’d be willing to give it a go… particularly if she happened to own a brewery.
That pretty much sums up my goal in life for the second 40 years….
Hi Janine … no snarkyness intended. But if I was being snarky I wonder what symbol I would used to convey that tone of voice.
Nerd of Redhead … I am not motivated to change your mind or anyone elses mind about evolution. I have my own adgenda which I choose to keep to myself.
If you want to take a turn and talk science with me though I am happy to do that.
clinteassays
Nick @ 25,
I wonder if more than one male can attach itself to a female. – Eva
Yes, I’ve seen pictures!
Ahem,I seem to recall watching the movie….
Li'l Innocentsays
I see someone else mentions S. J. Gould’s mention of angler fish romance, tho my memory is that he spoke of a case, or species, in which the male is eventually completely enclosed in the female’s body. He thought that it might be quite paradisical for the male.
I wonder if anyone has written about the esthetic differences between upper-sea and deep-sea anglers. As a humble artist myself, and no scientist, it almost seems to me that the darkness has allowed a flourishing of exaggerated forms, or conversely that good visibility somehow promotes more balanced shapes and proportions within a species’, ahem, bodily “design”.
Silisays
I see I’ve already been beat to the tissue compatility issue – twice.
I take it fish don’t have have our highly evolved, adaptive immunesystem? It’d have been nifty if this coulda led the way to better transplants, though.
hee! that was the absolutely most PERFECT way to start my day today! Angler fish are the most delightfully hideous creatures!
Props to the fella that figured out the male of the species was the male of the species, and not just a parasite who *really* enjoyed his job.
Perfect! Why Hollywood has not created a film using the behavior of the angler fish as a point of departure is beyond me. It’s perfect for a grade B horror film or a complex psycho-drama.
Reminds me of the bar scene back in my college daze: flashing lights in the darkness, and everyone trying to connect amid a sea of strangers…oh and plenty of parasites too!
At last I understand the relationship between my niece and her spouse!
I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m terribly sensitive … um … after … um … well, you know. To be stuck there might be rather painful
I guess the musical question in the post title refers to sexual ectoparasitism…hmmm. I think it would depend on where exactly I could attach…
“The male bites at her belly with a specially “designed” set of teeth.” WTF? ID Marine Biology Videographers?
GOT SPERM SACK?
Fit SWM seeks angler lady.
I’m the sexy, succulent benthic belly sucker you’ve been pheromoning for.
No freaks. Reply to Barry.
I’m not too keen on the permanent attachment bit, but if there were to be a woman who was prepared to support me in exchange for a supply of sperm, I’d be willing to give it a go… particularly if she happened to own a brewery.
Do they really make that wooshy scifi sound when they move their lure up and down? ;^)
Been there, done that!
Love the sound effects!
I don’t like the choice of words “specially designed teeth.” They should have said “specially evolved teeth.”
I know what they meant, but it’s tiresome that victory is declared by the IDiots over use of that word (though it doesn’t mean what they think it does in that context). It’s like “theory.” I prefer that the term “scientific theory” is used when appropriate.
I <3 David Attenborough. I <3 “blue planet”.
anyway… I found this very interesting. I’d seen it before like 3 times, but two things just now occurred to me. DA says that the male gets it’s nutrients from the blood of the female circulating through him. I wonder how they achieve this. Don’t the tissues reject each other? are diseases not as much of a problem in the deep sea and they can get by without as many immune responses?
I also wonder whether the male has a specific area to bite, and whether the female has anything which facilitates such bite/attachment.
I take it back. There is a God. His name is David Attenborough.
Part of the Life Trilogy unless I miss my guess – can’t remember which one exactly, but I’m fairly sure it’s the Living Planet. Gotta love the 80’s sound effects in there. My youth was spent (or misspent) rewatching that series over and over…
E.V.@8 – They are designed. They are a certain shape because they have a purpose. Really there’s no other term for it. The process of evolution is a natural, iterative design process. The fallacy only comes when you assume that the existence of design implies the existence of a sentient designer, or that design must be the result of a planned effort to solve a problem. The existence of design, in the context of evolution, implies neither.
mus–
Beat me to it! I wonder if anyone’s studied immunology in angler fish…
They forgot to mention the fact that the male’s brain, along with other now useless organs, starts to breakdown and be absorbed once he attaches himself.
I like “adapted” over “designed”, personally.
But I figure David Attenborough can say whatever the heck he wants to.
You like anglerfish? Pucker up . . . Merry Fishmas, guys: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1812386/
(is it sad I had to look up how to draw mistletoe but not anglerfish?)
At 0:39 to 0:42, that fish looks really artificial. It looks like there’s some velvety, puppet-like mass taking up the entire mouth cavity, big enough that it actually pushes the teeth outwards–you can even see one of the central lower jaw teeth seem to tilt backwards, touch this mass, and then bounce forwards off it.
Is it just my crazy imagination, or did the BBC stretch out this sequence with a puppet? Or do the real anglers have weird fish-business going on inside their jaws when at rest?
I wonder if more than one male can attach itself to a female.
Just sayin’.
Emmet at 10
Ha! John McCain figured it out!
Great video. S.J. Gould opens up with a brief description of this (the behavior, not the video) in “Hen’s Teeth and Horse’s Toes.” On occasion, some of the females get a case of penis envy and end up with multiple males attached… With that in mind, I’m going with hell.
I wonder if more than one male can attach itself to a female. – Eva
Yes, I’ve seen pictures! Anyone know what the record is?
As I remember, it is somehow not enough to offer a continuous supply of sperm to the female on the first date. Oh biological imperative, why do you test me so?
Puts a new spin on “Paradise by the dashboard light”, doesn’t it?
For some reason now I’ve got this song stuck in my head:
All I want for Christmas is a bioluminescent penis…
I’m going to make a new sign: “will ejaculate for food”
In my experience, this works the other way in humans…
*ducks incoming shoes*
I like the part about “specially designed teeth” about 2:50 into the video.
Randy, please scroll up to comment #14.
Hi Janine,
I know the feeling. I am mildly irked when evolution is unnecessarily used to explain something as well. It must have been a freudian slip on the part of the videographers.
… I am thinking that I have something in common with this angler fish. Maybe I should change my alias.
You get mildly irked when evolution is used in a proper context ;)
What just happened? Did Randy just get snarky on me?
Snark only works when you are right.
Janine, don’t worry about Randy. He doesn’t like it when his horse loses. I’ve always wondered why he keeps posting here since everyone else seems to think he is mildly crazy. It’s not like we are going to change our minds on evolution due to his non-scientific posts on the subject.
Confuseddave – the footage is actually from The Blue Planet series.
The sound effect they use every time the lure flashes blue makes it seem like the anglerfish is a TARDIS.
Emmet Caulfield spoke these wise words:
That pretty much sums up my goal in life for the second 40 years….
Hi Janine … no snarkyness intended. But if I was being snarky I wonder what symbol I would used to convey that tone of voice.
Nerd of Redhead … I am not motivated to change your mind or anyone elses mind about evolution. I have my own adgenda which I choose to keep to myself.
If you want to take a turn and talk science with me though I am happy to do that.
Nick @ 25,
Ahem,I seem to recall watching the movie….
I see someone else mentions S. J. Gould’s mention of angler fish romance, tho my memory is that he spoke of a case, or species, in which the male is eventually completely enclosed in the female’s body. He thought that it might be quite paradisical for the male.
I wonder if anyone has written about the esthetic differences between upper-sea and deep-sea anglers. As a humble artist myself, and no scientist, it almost seems to me that the darkness has allowed a flourishing of exaggerated forms, or conversely that good visibility somehow promotes more balanced shapes and proportions within a species’, ahem, bodily “design”.
I see I’ve already been beat to the tissue compatility issue – twice.
I take it fish don’t have have our highly evolved, adaptive immunesystem? It’d have been nifty if this coulda led the way to better transplants, though.