Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus (1758)

EN - Angler / Monk
PT - Tamboril
FR - Baudroie commune / Lotte
ES - Rape / Rape blanco

︎︎︎    200 cm
︎   20 - 1000 m
︎︎︎    24 Years
︎  Solitary
︎  Sand and Silt
︎  Fishes, Seafood and Birds
︎  Trammel and Trawl

Least Concern (LC) means it has been evaluated against the Red List criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened.

• The Monkfish is characterized by a disproportionately large head, with a semicircular mouth equipped with pointed teeth. 
• It presents a modification of the first dorsal ray, which functions like a fishing rod - Illicium with a fleshy flap at the tip forming a "bait". The "bait" hangs in front of the mouth and attracts small fish that become the fisherman's prey (hence the name pistatorius). 
• They have a unique reproductive strategy, the male, which is much smaller than the female, has a specialized structure called a parasitic sexual organ that he uses to attach to the female. Once tethered, the male releases sperm directly to the female and remains tethered for the rest of his life continually providing sperm. 
• Thus, the female has a permanent sperm bank that guarantees the success of the species since in deep waters encounters between males and females are rare (for laughs ︎ https://theoatmeal.com/comics/angler).