Happy Valentine’s (or Singles Awareness) Day! Whether you’ve
found your own “cuddle-fish”
or are still searching the deep blue for a partner, we hope you find a special
way to celebrate the day.
While there once was plenty of fish in the sea, we realize
that due to overfishing,
your options may be limited when it comes to finding a partner. If you’re
finding this is the case in your romantic life, perhaps the anglerfish’s
solution to the problem of finding a mate might inspire you. Living in the deep
ocean, an ecosystem where other fish can be hard to find, anglerfish could have
difficulty finding mates. Instead of swimming around and hoping to run into a
mate (talk about just keep swimming!), the species has adapted so that the male
is a tiny parasitic form that attaches itself permanently to the female by
fusing his mouth to her body. Through this process, his blood vessels merge
with hers. This way, a male anglerfish is always present to fertilize the eggs
of the female, eliminating the need for the male and female to find each other
at breeding time.
Here’s hoping you have a pleasant day spent your way –
whether that be propagating asexually by fission (you do you, polyps!)
or finding your own parasitic partner (if that’s your thing. No judgment
anglerfish – we’ve all made the mistake of swiping right on a parasite or two)
we wish you a happy Valentine’s Day!
Background image: Humpback Anglerfish (Melanocetus Johnsonii) brought to the surface alive by the Waitt Foundation science team by Javontaevious. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
