Two “Terrifying” Anglerfish in the Deep-Sea | Nautilus Live

While exploring the deep-sea in the Federated States of Micronesia, our Corps of Exploration found two specimens of one of our favorite fish: the Chaunacops sp.! Chaunacops is a genus of anglerfish easily recognizable by their round bodies, pink hue, and frowny faces. Also known as frogfish or coffin fish, they have a fluffy lure that appears as small white dots in the middle of their foreheads.

In this video, we combine two sightings from Chuuk State. We spotted the first one on the slopes of Unnamed FSM Seamount 2 (approximately 79 km southwest of Lamotrek Island) at 1,125 meters (3,690 feet deep) and the second on Unnamed FSM Seamount 3 (roughly halfway between Ifalik and Chuuk) at 2,706 meters (8,877 feet deep). Both encounters give a chance to check out the modified pelvic fins these anglerfish perch upon to patiently lure their prey on the seafloor.