A Real Life Ultra Perverted Deep Sea Monster

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From the movie "Aliens"
Newt: "My mommy always said there were no monsters - no real ones - but there are."
Ripley: "Yes, there are, aren't there?"
Newt: "Why do they tell little kids that?"
Ripley: "Most of the time it's true."

The Anglerfish:


You thought spiders killing and eating their mates were horrific?  HA!  This aquatic monstrosity has the most disturbing reproduction method I've ever heard of:

"When he finds a female, he bites into her skin, and releases an enzyme that digests the skin of his mouth and her body, fusing the pair down to the blood-vessel level.  The male then slowly atrophies, first losing his digestive organs, then his brain, heart, and eyes, and ends as nothing more than a pair of gonads, which release sperm in response to hormones in the female's bloodstream indicating egg release. This extreme sexual dimorphism ensures that, when the female is ready to spawn, she has a mate immediately available."

Some monsters are real.

Credit: Bruce Robison/Corbis via NatGeo

The anglerfish almost looks fake to me.  Their appearance is so unique, it has an immediate impact.  It's bizarre and horrifying.  Living in the lightless depths, there are over 200 variations, which doesn't make me feel any better. 

Sculpture by Jud Turner

 Credit: Jud Turner  This artist is incredible, check him out.

Look closely.  One feature of the anglerfish 

is that its teeth are translucent.

 Credit: tek bull

This angler fish was constructed out of 

recycled materials welded together.  

I don't know if it bites...

Credit: Justin La Doux

I doubt I'll be able to sleep well tonight.

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