ABOVE: A 75-mm-long Melanocetus johnsonii female with a 23.5-mm-long male attached to her belly
EDITH A. WIDDER
Krøyer’s deep-sea anglerfish, Ceratias holboelli, does not spawn, copulate, or do anything a fish would ordinarily do to mate. Instead, the male—just a few inches long—clasps onto the comparatively gigantic female’s body and never lets go. Slowly, his body morphs into hers, his cells becoming hers, including his testicles, which are used to make offspring. As he vanishes, two individuals become one—taking the concept of monogamy to a new level.
The sub-order of deep-sea anglerfish, composed of nearly 170 known species, arguably displays the most dramatic mating habits in the animal kingdom. In some species, males only temporarily attach to females and then part ways. In others, such as C. holboelli, males permanently “fuse” with females, or females absorb multiple males—in some cases up to eight at a time.
Among the many mysteries surrounding ...
