The Anglerfish They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence comes from symbiotic bacteria, which are thought to be acquired from seawater,that dwell in and around the sea. In some species of anglerfish, the male has one goal – to find a female and latch onto her for the rest of his life. If he manages to find one, he will bite into her flesh and become fused to her body. The male loses his own organs and becomes a sexual parasite, providing sperm for the female on demand. A female anglerfish can collect more than one male. Talk about having only one thing on your mind! Life for the male anglerfish revolves around sex. His motto could easily be: SEX OR DIE! Because it is literally true. The male anglerfish is useless on his own. He can’t even feed himself. All he can do is follow his nose and hope that he catches the scent trail of pheromones being emitted by a female. If he hits the jackpot and comes across a female’s pheromone trail, he has only one objective: to find her and bite her! If he doesn’t manage to find a female, he will die. Is this romantic or what!? If only Shakespeare had known!