Description

The Sargassum Anglerfish or Sargassum Frog Fish (Histrio Histrio) is a Frogfish that lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans. It is found in parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean, where drifting seaweed accumulates. In the western Atlantic, it ranges from the Gulf of Maine south to Uruguay. Sargassum Anglerfish or Sargassum Frog Fish is a strange-looking fish, blends well with its surroundings in its seaweed habitat. The color of the body and the large oral cavity is very variable, but is usually mottled and spotted yellow, green, and brown on a paler background, and the fins often have several dark streaks or bands. The Sargassum Anglerfish or Sargassum Frog Fish can change color rapidly, from light to dark and back again. The body and the fins are covered with many weed-like protrusions, but other than these, the skin is smooth without dermal spines. It is laterally compressed and its length can reach 7.9″ inches.

The Sargassum Anglerfish or Sargassum Frog Fish is a voracious ambush predator that is also a cannibal. It stalks its prey among the tangled weeds, relying on its cryptic camouflage for concealment. It is able to dart forward to grab its prey by expelling water forcibly through its gill openings. It can expand its mouth to many times its original size in a fraction of a second, drawing prey in via suction, and can swallow prey larger than itself. This fish is preyed on by larger fish and sea birds. To avoid underwater threats, Sargassum Anglerfish or Sargassum Frog Fish can leap above the surface onto mats of weed. It can survive for some time out of water.