Fish Whose Ugliness Grows on You
Anglerfish, also known as frogfish, are named such because they dangle this lure thingy (like a fishing rod with a bait at the end) in front of them to catch their dinner. The bait looks like a worm, small fish, or invertebrate, and even moves the way the real thing would move. If you go in the right season, there are LOADS of anglerfish in the Lembeh Straits. Practically guaranteed on every dive.
This picture shows the fish's lure in action
Anglerfish are able to change their colours to match their surroundings, making them quite difficult to spot. I try to look out for their eyes (little dark beads encircled by small dots). To help you find the eye of the anglerfish below, look along the top edge of the black patch (which is the fish), until you reach the centre. That's his eye. The little cut on the left end of the top edge is his mouth. He's looking in the direction of the top left corner of the picture. Is it clearer now?
Fun, right? This next page features the most difficult to spot anglerfish. For some of the really tricky ones, I've left mouse-over text to indicate the position of the eye to help you. See? Divewithsus does have some fun-ducational value after all.
