The video below is footage of a ‘black seadevil’ anglerfish.  The fish in the video is only about 9 cm (3.5 inches) long, but is still fairly terrifying regardless. Other varieties of angler fish can grow to over 3 feet. Living in the deep sea, they are called angler fish because of a long dorsal spine with a luminous bulb which they use like a fishing pole to attract their prey.

The anglerfish: The original approach to deep-sea fishing

Anglerfish Lophius piscatorius

There are more than 200 species of anglerfish, most of which live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans, up to a mile below the surface, although some live in shallow, tropical environments. Generally dark gray to dark brown in color, they have huge heads and enormous crescent-shaped mouths filled with sharp, translucent teeth. Some angler fish can be quite large, reaching 3.3 feet (1 meter) in length. Most however are significantly smaller, often less than a foot.

Their most distinctive feature, worn only by females, is a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths like a fishing pole—hence their name. Tipped with a lure of luminous flesh this built-in rod baits prey close enough to be snatched. Their mouths are so big and their bodies so pliable, they can actually swallow prey up to twice their own size.