Beachcombers Discover Rare, DeepSea Anglerfish Washed Up on Oregon Coast
July 1, 2024 8:33 PM Subscribe
Beachcombers Discover Rare, Deep-Sea Anglerfish Washed Up on Oregon Coast. (Smithsonian Magazine.) Most humans will never see a Pacific footballfish, as the creatures live at depths of 2000 to 3300 feet below the ocean’s surface.
Very cool! But:
The Pacific footballfish will be left on the beach, per the finders’ wishes that it remain in the natural environment, reports the Oregonian’s Lizzy Acker.
“The person who found it didn’t want to let us have it to preserve it,” Keith Chandler, the aquarium’s general manager, tells USA Today’s Julia Gomez.
Uh, do the finders get to decide that? I know “finders keepers” is a long standing precedent, but if they’re not even going to keep it…
posted by ejs at 9:57 PM on July 1 [3 favorites]
The Pacific footballfish will be left on the beach, per the finders’ wishes that it remain in the natural environment, reports the Oregonian’s Lizzy Acker.
“The person who found it didn’t want to let us have it to preserve it,” Keith Chandler, the aquarium’s general manager, tells USA Today’s Julia Gomez.
Uh, do the finders get to decide that? I know “finders keepers” is a long standing precedent, but if they’re not even going to keep it…
posted by ejs at 9:57 PM on July 1 [3 favorites]
So, I read the article and another it links to, and the description of what happens to the male footballfish is definitely interesting:
"The males of some anglerfish species, including the football fish, have evolved into “sexual parasites.” Using well-developed olfactory organs, they find and fuse themselves to females, eventually losing their eyes, internal organs, and everything else but the testes. The male becomes a permanent appendage that draws nutrition from its female host and serves as an easily accessible source of sperm."
Now, that'll make you think. That's a hell of a situation to end up in.
posted by cybrcamper at 10:05 PM on July 1 [5 favorites]
"The males of some anglerfish species, including the football fish, have evolved into “sexual parasites.” Using well-developed olfactory organs, they find and fuse themselves to females, eventually losing their eyes, internal organs, and everything else but the testes. The male becomes a permanent appendage that draws nutrition from its female host and serves as an easily accessible source of sperm."
Now, that'll make you think. That's a hell of a situation to end up in.
posted by cybrcamper at 10:05 PM on July 1 [5 favorites]
'One' is the correct number of mouths, perfect for the amounts of food you have available at that depth. They know that.
posted by Ashenmote at 11:20 PM on July 1
posted by Ashenmote at 11:20 PM on July 1
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