The chances that you’ve ever seen a hairy frogfish before are slim, but they are some of the quickest vertebrate predators in the world for a specific reason. With a strange appearance and extremely fast hunting style, these fish are a wonder of the ocean. This video by the Smithsonian Channel shows a hairy frogfish biting at extreme speeds, which is hard to catch on camera. Read below to learn about the hairy frogfish and how it can bite so fast.
Hairy frogfish showing its large mouth that can swallow prey whole.
©Paul Tuazon/Shutterstock.com
About the Hairy Frogfish
The hairy frogfish, known scientifically as Antennarius striatus, is a type of anglerfish. They are named after their shaggy and “hairy” appearance. While they resemble hair, these structures are actually whisker-like dermal spinules, simple protrusions on the frogfish’s body that help with camouflage. The hair-like appearance helps them look more like moss or a sponge. As seen in the video, they appear slow and sluggish. While this would be a disadvantage for other animals, frogfish are slow because they rely more on stealth than speed. Instead of swimming, they walk along the sea floor to position themselves for an ambush.
Hairy frogfish are found throughout the globe, typically in tropical or subtropical waters. Some areas include the Indo-Pacific region, the Western Atlantic, the Eastern Atlantic, and the Pacific Ocean. You will most likely find them inhabiting coral reefs and seagrass beds, as they can blend in well in these environments. As mentioned above, their ‘hairs’ are not actual hairs, but spinules meant to mimic their surroundings. This has the dual benefits of blending in with their environment and luring in prey. This is called aggressive mimicry, a style of predation where you trick the prey into coming to you. This skill makes them effective hunters and enhances their ability to strike with lightning speed.
How Do They Hunt?
Because they lure in prey, hairy frogfish must capitalize on every opportunity to strike. This makes them living traps, and they have evolved specifically for this purpose. Two of these adaptations are the illicium and esca, simply known as the lure and bait. The illicium is a long extension from the fish’s head, with the esca—a bait-like appendage—at the end. Like a fishing rod, this lures in prey to get close to the frogfish. When a fish is close enough, the frogfish creates a vacuum with its jaws to suck in the prey whole. This sounds like it would be a lengthy battle between the two, but it all happens in 0.17 milliseconds (1/6000th of a second). This is faster than a human eye can blink! This incredible speed, as seen in the video, often makes it difficult even for slow-motion cameras to capture.
