Photos: Rare Deep-Sea Angler Fish

National Geographic recently posted photographs of the Chaunacops coloratus, a rare and colorful deep-sea angler, which wasn’t discovered alive until 2002 when one was spotted near a seamount off the coast of California. A more recent expedition in 2010 turned up six more of the strange-looking fish.

The fish, which is bright red as an adult, seems to change colors during its lifetime with the adolescents being blue and purple colors. Although it’s a strong swimmer, the angler also uses its fins to “walk” along the seafloor for shorter distances.

The angler feeds by using its esca, a dangling piece of flesh, as a lure to fixate curious passers-by, which it then ambushes and eats. Scientists suspect that the angler is also luminescent, although this has not been documented yet. 

Take a look at the photographs.