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| Red-lipped Batfish in the ocean floor |
Did you know the Red-lipped Batfish uses it’s bright red lips to attract mates and identify others of its kind?
This organism live in the ocean near Peru where they walk along the dark ocean floor to hunt. What looks like a nose is actually a lure. They’re a type of angler fish and have a special bioluminescent organ in the tip of their lure. It’s filled with bioluminescent bacteria that the batfish keeps symbiotically.
The light attracts curious prey and the batfish eats it. They are very poor swimmers and mostly walk on their specially adapted fins. They will occasionally come up to shallow waters and hunt near the edges of reefs. They have been found as far north as California very rarely. When in deep water their lips will appear black because red light has more trouble penetrating the deep water. The light from Batfish lure is blue/green and also won’t reflect red and give them away.
David Ishee
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