Why might males fuse to females?

To ensure a mate in the vast dark

Anglerfish Lure Quiz: Glowing Bacteria and Tiny Males

This anglerfish lure quiz switches on the lights of the deep sea. Play 10 interactive questions on the fishing rod made from a fin spine, the glowing tip called the esca, light produced by symbiotic bacteria, huge jaws and stretchy stomachs, why only females carry lures, tiny males that fuse to females in some species and the first footage of a mating pair.

Start Anglerfish Lure Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Rod
What forms the anglerfish's fishing rod?
Tip
What is the glowing tip called?
Light
What makes many lures glow?
Deal
What do the bacteria get in return?
Who
Which anglerfish usually carry lures?
Mouth
What helps anglerfish eat big prey?
Male
What do males do in some species?
Purpose
Why might males fuse to females?
Footage
What was filmed for the first time in 2018?
Home
Where do these anglerfish live?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What forms the anglerfish's fishing rod?
Answer: A modified fin spine
It sticks out from the head.
Q2: What is the glowing tip called?
Answer: The esca
It acts as bait.
Q3: What makes many lures glow?
Answer: Bioluminescent bacteria
They live inside the lure.
Q4: What do the bacteria get in return?
Answer: A safe home and nutrients
It is a partnership.
Q5: Which anglerfish usually carry lures?
Answer: Females
Males are often tiny.
Q6: What helps anglerfish eat big prey?
Answer: Huge jaws and stretchy stomachs
Meals are rare in the deep.
Q7: What do males do in some species?
Answer: Fuse permanently to a female
They share her blood supply.
Q8: Why might males fuse to females?
Answer: To ensure a mate in the vast dark
Finding a partner is hard.
Q9: What was filmed for the first time in 2018?
Answer: A deep-sea anglerfish pair joined together
It was recorded off the Azores.
Q10: Where do these anglerfish live?
Answer: The deep, dark ocean
Little light reaches them.

Bait That Glows in the Dark

Female deep-sea anglerfish carry a fishing rod made from a modified fin spine on their heads. At its tip is the esca, a lure that glows thanks to bioluminescent bacteria living inside it. The bacteria get a safe home and nutrients, while the anglerfish gets a light to attract prey in the dark.

When curious animals approach the glow, the anglerfish snaps them up with huge jaws. Its stretchy stomach can hold prey surprisingly large for its size, useful in the deep sea where meals are rare.

In some species, tiny males find a female and fuse to her body permanently, sharing her blood supply, which ensures a mate in the vast dark. In 2018, researchers released the first footage of a deep-sea anglerfish pair joined together, filmed off the Azores.

What This Quiz Teaches

Ocean fans will enjoy these questions.

How the lure works
Who carries lures
How anglerfish feed
What males do
What footage revealed

Did You Know?

There are over 200 anglerfish species.
Some shallow anglerfish live on reefs.
Females can carry several males.
Their skin is often dark.
Deep-sea robots help study them.