Page 60 - BBC Focus - August 2017
P. 60
EARTH
BATFISH
This unidentified juvenile batfish is a relative of deep-sea anglerfish. It sits on the seabed
and slowly shuffles around using its front fins as legs. “They’re not strong swimmers, they
have really soft gelatinous flesh,” says Bray. “They’re kind of cute.” The fish also has a ‘lure’ on
its forehead. This is a key character of many anglerfish that are ambush predators; they sit
and wait for other animals to wander up and mistake their waggling lure for food.
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