Why it sucks to be a male (deepsea) anglerfish
 

So, one of the webcomics I like to read is The Oatmeal. I learned something from The Oatmeal a couple weeks ago when I read this:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/angler

(Caution - this comic is highly addictive, and tends to have very NSFW language. Don't click if you like things to be G-rated all the time.)

Anyhow, so, deep sea anglerfish have a very unusual mating cycle. The males are drawn to the females by scent (since it's hard to see down there), when they find them, they bite onto the female and stay there. Eventually they melt into the skin of the female and everything on the male eventually atrophies except for the male sex organs. A female might live her life with 6 or 7 different pairs of testes hanging off her skin.

For real. Check it:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...nglerfish.html

Crazy stuff.

Love it!!!

lol...this is great !

freakin' EWWWW...lol
never mind bad to be male, it's great for them...it would suck to be a female deepsea anglerfish!!!

:eek: WOW I have to say I didn't know that :surprise:

Read this same thing in some fish books years ago but cool info to get out there anyways.

Yeah, I feel sorry for the female, carrying all those useless (except for sperm) males with her 24/7.

Anthony

puts a new meaning into your "g/f having your balls in her hand!"

In lieu of continually seeking the vast abyss for a female, it has evolved into a permanent parasitic mate. When a young, free-swimming male angler encounters a female, he latches onto her with his sharp teeth. Over time, the male physically fuses with the female, connecting to her skin and bloodstream and losing his eyes and all his internal organs except the testes.

for a minute I thought they were talking about my ex-husband.:twised:

:biggrin1:

Bitches!

and proud of it!:mrgreen:

I've been looking for real pics of this and haven't found any. I don't think the males really exist afterwards...maybe just a little lump or something.

Fascinating stuff tho.

i wish my wife would support me...

http://www.fotobank.ru/img/MP01-2143.jpg?size=l
not the best one i found but the male is the one on the rear end that looks like a fin i think

http://sounds-like-me.com/blogs/scon...le-posters.jpg

Aww he looks so cute.

Haha... I learned about this in a bio class! There are a few other anglerfish habits that are really weird!