In nature, there are countless creatures that look like each other, and the reasons behind this are also various, some are for pleasing themselves, some are to intimidate predators, and some are to hide themselves.
But in the depths of the ocean, due to the lack of light, no one can see anyone, the deep-sea creatures no longer seem to care about their appearance, the dark environment, for people like us who adapt to the light, the black is as terrible as the abyss, but for the deep-sea creatures also said, this may be a good thing, because many of them are casually long, strange-looking, ugly, and even frightening.
In such a dark environment, the only light that can illuminate the abyss is the fluorescence emitted by deep-sea creatures, and today I will introduce you to a fish that likes to "fish", the trout.
Overhead lights
The trout has many names, such as toadfish, anglerfish and stuttering fish, etc., living in the deep sea, the appearance is difficult to describe, and there are also nicknames for ugly fish and old manfish.
The head is large, the body is flattened, the eyes are small, long on the back, there is a large mouth of blood basin, the mouth is full of sharp teeth of different sizes, from the side, the chin is protruding, the head occupies a large part, and the torso is very short.
The most amazing thing is that it has a protruding ball of flesh on the top of its head, like a small lantern, which is developed by extending the dorsal fin.
In the dark environment of the deep sea, having a bright light is definitely an advantage.
By secreting photons, the trout emits biofluorescence under the action of enzymes, and it is precisely this light that it uses to "fish" for food.
As we all know, many creatures are phototropic, when they see this light, they will take the initiative to approach, at this time the trout will open their mouths, quietly waiting for food to come to the mouth.
If the creature attracted at this time has a fierce personality and is very unpleasant, the trout will also take the necessary measures to avoid prey on itself, it will take the initiative to take the small lantern into its mouth, the light suddenly disappears, the fierce big fish can not adapt for a while, can only leave disappointed, and the trout also slipped away in the dark.
Disappearing male fish
In the 19th century, scientists were studying the fish, but the study was confusing because all of their study samples were females, and they didn't know where the males were or what they looked like.
It wasn't until the 1920s, almost a full century later, that things started to get a little clearer.
In 1922, biologists discovered a female trout with 2 small fish attached to its belly, and at first, biologists speculated that it was a mother and her 2 children.
However, when another scientist dissected the creature, it was found that the baby fish was not a child of the female, nor was it another species, but its companions.
It turns out that the "disappearing" male fish has always been in the field of vision of scientists, but it is too different from the size of the female fish, so it has not been identified.
"Eat soft rice" since childhood
In general, females can grow up to 1.2 meters, while males can only reach more than 10 centimeters at most, and the difference in body size is not a little.
The body structure is also different, the attached male fish has no large mouth and teeth, no small lantern light source, it does not prey on its own, completely dependent on the female to provide nutrition, is parasitic on the female fish appendages.
Males start looking for objects at a very young age, they have a keen sense of smell, they will follow a specific pheromone to find the female, and the small lantern of the female fish can also help the male find a companion.
Once the male finds a suitable mate, it bites the female's abdomen until its body is united with the female: the skin is joined and the blood vessels are connected. This allows the male to get the nutrients he needs from his mate's blood.
When combined, the male does not have to see, swim or eat like a normal fish, so there is no longer a need for eyes, fins and other internal organs, and begins to atrophy, degenerate, and wither until finally the male becomes a piece of meat hanging from the female.
The two fish become one, and the relationship between the male and the female is like a tacit trade, with the male taking food from the female and providing sperm when the female is ready to spawn.
At last
Parasitic mating may seem bizarre, but for the deep-sea-dwelling trout, this weird mating ritual is a deep-sea adaptation.
In the ocean, sturgeon rarely has the opportunity to encounter each other in the deep sea, and in order to ensure that more offspring are produced, they can only take such measures to keep their mates close and facilitate reproduction.
The female pays, and the male "eats soft rice", which is just one of the ways they survive.