Upside-Down Swimming Behavior in a Whipnose Anglerfish (Teleostei: Ceratioidei: Gigantactinidae)
Three individuals of a whipnose anglerfish, Gigantactis sp., were observed near the bottom in the North Central Pacific Ocean. An image from one of three videotape sequences discussed herein represents the first photograph of live behavior in members of the fish family Gigantactinidae. Foraging and escape behaviors included drifting and swimming upside-down. Close association with the bottom while drifting suggests foraging on benthic organisms. Escape behaviors also indicate a lack of stamina consistent with a sit-and-wait bathypelagic predator.Abstract
Image of whipnose anglerfish, Gigantactis sp., drifting just above the bottom. The two shadows on the bottom behind the fish result from lights on the ROV Jason. Note the illicium is extended down toward the bottom