Shaggy Anglerfish
Antennarius Hispidus
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Quick Facts
Distribution
- The Shaggy Anglerfish is one of the more unusual fish on the reef. It has a lumpy, rounded body covered in short skin filaments that make it look more like a clump of algae than a fish.
- Its colours range from white, cream and yellow through to orange and black, often with dark zebra-like bands across the body. No two Shaggy Anglerfish look quite the same.
- One of the most striking features is its lure, a small white pom-pom-like structure on top of the head. The fish wiggles this lure to draw curious prey within range of its mouth.
- When prey comes close enough, the Shaggy Anglerfish strikes with one of the fastest mouths in the sea. It opens its enormous jaws and gulps the victim whole in a fraction of a second.
- This is a fish built for sitting still and waiting. It spends most of its time motionless on the bottom, relying on its remarkable camouflage to stay hidden from both prey and predators.
- Shaggy Anglerfish are found across Australia’s tropical north, from the Northwest Shelf in Western Australia through to around Sydney on the east coast. They also occur through the Gulf of Carpentaria.
- Their range stretches much farther across the warm Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to Fiji, and north to Taiwan. They turn up in a wide variety of places within that range.
- The Shaggy Anglerfish lives in a variety of habitats, from shallow rocky and coral reefs to deeper muddy ground, down to about 90 m. It is often found tucked among leafy debris and rubble on the seafloor.
- Like other anglerfish, they move around using their thick, arm-like pectoral fins rather than swimming in the usual way. They can walk along the bottom to reposition themselves.
- Anglerfish in this family can swallow prey close to their own size. Their stomach stretches to fit a meal much larger than you would expect from the outside.
- The gill openings on a Shaggy Anglerfish are small and tucked behind the pectoral fins. On most fish the gills run along the sides of the head, but not here.
- Shaggy Anglerfish eat other fish and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp. They are entirely ambush hunters, and rarely chase anything.
Species Interaction
Shaggy Anglerfish: A Diver's Find and Little Else
- Snorkelling & Diving
- Research & Rare Encounters
- Ecosystem Role
The Shaggy Anglerfish’s interactions with people are almost entirely limited to chance underwater encounters. Divers and underwater photographers with a sharp eye occasionally spot one on shallow coastal reefs, where its shaggy, camouflaged body makes it very easy to miss. For researchers, specimens held in museum collections help document the family’s diversity across the Indo-Pacific.
Scientific Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Teleostei
- Order: Lophiiformes
- Family: Antennariidae
- Genus: Antennarius
- Species: Antennarius hispidus
Conservation Status
The Shaggy Anglerfish has not been evaluated by the IUCN Red List, and it holds no listing under Australia’s EPBC Act. As a small, non-commercial benthic species, it is not a target of any monitored fishery, and no formal stock assessment exists for Australian waters.
Interaction Highlights
Diving
Rarely spotted by divers due to exceptional camouflage among reef rubble.
Research
Museum collections document anglerfish diversity well beyond what field surveys alone can capture.
Ecosystem
An ambush predator of small fish and invertebrates on shallow coastal reefs.
Shaggy Anglerfish
As Aquarium Fish
Care Level: Moderate to difficult
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Reef Compatible: With caution
Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Recreational Viewing
- Snorkeling & Scuba
Finding: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Location: Inner Reef, Sandflats
Danger: None
Elusive / Overlooked Species
Finding: Difficult
Temperament: Peaceful
Location: Inner reef, Outer reef, Deepsea
Danger: None
