Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfish are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate.

In the unlit depths of the ocean, where food is scarce, and chance encounters are rarer still, anglerfish have evolved one of nature’s most bizarre mating approaches. When a male anglerfish finds a ...

The fish, who live in pitch-black darkness, likely use their bioluminescent lures to find mates. Males then attach themselves to the females—and never let go. Many anglerfish, like the Diceratias ...