What is the glowing lure on an anglerfish?

A modified fin spine called an illicium

Why can anglerfish eat prey bigger than themselves?

Their jaws and stomachs stretch

Anglerfish Quiz – How Much Do You Really Know?

A tiny male anglerfish can fuse permanently to a female, sharing her blood for the rest of his life, and this anglerfish quiz explores even stranger facts. Head into the midnight zone of the Atlantic and Pacific to see how glowing lures, huge jaws and stretchy stomachs help them survive.

Start Anglerfish Quiz

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

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Lure
What is the glowing lure on an anglerfish?
Glow
What makes the lure glow?
Male
What do some male deep-sea anglerfish do?
Zone
Where do most deep-sea anglerfish live?
Stomach
Why can anglerfish eat prey bigger than themselves?
Filmed
When was a pair of deep-sea anglerfish first filmed mating?
Shallow
Which anglerfish relatives live in shallow seas?
Monkfish
What is the anglerfish called on menus?
Sight
In 2014, what was filmed alive for the first time off California?
Size
How big are most deep-sea anglerfish?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the glowing lure on an anglerfish?
Answer: A modified fin spine called an illicium
Its tip is called the esca.
Q2: What makes the lure glow?
Answer: Bioluminescent bacteria
The bacteria live inside it.
Q3: What do some male deep-sea anglerfish do?
Answer: Fuse to females permanently
They become sperm providers.
Q4: Where do most deep-sea anglerfish live?
Answer: The midnight zone
No sunlight reaches there.
Q5: Why can anglerfish eat prey bigger than themselves?
Answer: Their jaws and stomachs stretch
Food is scarce in the deep.
Q6: When was a pair of deep-sea anglerfish first filmed mating?
Answer: 2018
It was filmed near the Azores.
Q7: Which anglerfish relatives live in shallow seas?
Answer: Frogfish
They walk on their fins.
Q8: What is the anglerfish called on menus?
Answer: Monkfish
It is popular in European cooking.
Q9: In 2014, what was filmed alive for the first time off California?
Answer: A black seadevil anglerfish
It was filmed at about 600 meters.
Q10: How big are most deep-sea anglerfish?
Answer: Smaller than a hand
Movie images exaggerate their size.

Anglerfish Quiz – Lights in the Darkness

Anglerfish are fish named for the fishing-rod lure that grows from their heads. There are over 300 species, from shallow-water frogfish to deep-sea anglerfish that live in the dark midnight zone thousands of meters down.

In the deep sea, anglerfish use glowing lures filled with bioluminescent bacteria to attract prey. Their huge mouths, sharp teeth and stretchy stomachs let them swallow almost anything that comes close, an advantage where food is scarce.

Some deep-sea anglerfish have extraordinary mating habits, with tiny males fusing to females for life. Few have been filmed alive, and each new sighting helps scientists learn about these mysterious deep-sea dwellers.

What This Quiz Teaches

Ocean fans and curious readers will enjoy these questions.

What the lure is
Why it glows
How males and females pair
Where anglerfish live
How big they really are

Did You Know?

Some females carry several males.
Frogfish can change color.
Anglerfish wait patiently for prey.
Their teeth point inward.
The deep-sea anglerfish appeared in Finding Nemo.