Anglerfish

An eager fish dashes in, mouth totally open, to swallow a wriggling worm. In a flash, it’s all over. However, it is not the worm that has been swallowed, but the ravenous fish itself.

The eager fish portrayed inverse has been tricked by one of the most incredibly solid and deceptive hunters of the seas; an anglerfish. Anglerfish are the fishy equivalent of human anglers, except that they come complete with a built-in “fishing rod” and “lure.”

The “fishing rod” consists of the first ray of the dorsal (back) fin. This ray is longer and more flexible than all the others and is placed close to the nose of the fish. At the tip, there is a fleshy part that may look like a worm or even a small fish. The rest of the anglerfish's figure is generally covered. As a result, an angler lying still on the bottom is extremely difficult to spot.

The Perfect Confidence Trick

When it is hungry, all that an anglerfish needs to do is move its “fishing rod”; known as the illicium; around in the water. This makes the “lure,” or “bait”; known as the esca; wriggle like a worm or a small fish. This in turn will attract any hungry fish that happens to swim by. As the would-be diner comes in to inspect or swallow its meal, the anglerfish simply opens its huge mouth and sucks in the unsuspecting victim at such high speed that few targets ever manage to escape.