Deep Sea Anglerfish Wiggles Its Lure to Tempt Prey
Transcript
00:00 The anglerfish, capable of adapting their appearance to suit their environment.
00:06 These colourful conmen are masters of disguise.
00:11 Instead of swimming, they use their fins to slowly prowl the sea floor in search of prey,
00:19 like small fish and squid.
00:25 Within its bag of tricks, this anglerfish possesses a rather unusual tool.
00:31 A biological lure, known as an esker, protrudes from its forehead.
00:40 Resembling a wriggling worm, it tempts prey from the safety of cover.
00:47 A cuttlefish emerges to investigate.
00:55 Amongst the most intelligent of marine invertebrates, it doesn't buy into the scam.
01:02 Nearby, a painted anglerfish casts its line.
01:11 But just in case the lure isn't tempting enough,
01:15 it also secretes a chemical attractant into the surrounding water.
01:20 Its strike is faster than the blink of a human eye.
01:24 A bite-sized snack.
01:27 But these remarkable predators are capable of taking much larger prey.
01:41 Anglerfish can expand their mouth cavities to two times their size.
01:46 A trait that allows them to punch well above their weight.
01:51 Also reliant on camouflage, a flounder conceals itself within the sandy seabed.
02:00 Unaware that a hairy anglerfish is posing as a sea anemone nearby.
02:10 Attracted by the disturbance in the sand, the anglerfish moves in to investigate.
02:16 This big-mouthed predator is quite capable of devouring the flounder whole.
02:26 The flounder is a very large fish.
02:31 It can reach up to a foot in the water.
02:34 This big-mouthed predator is quite capable of devouring the flounder whole.
02:40 Putting faith in its camouflage, the flounder holds its nerve.
02:49 Fooled by the flounder's disguise, the anglerfish moves off in search of its next victim.
03:00 [Music]