Barbeled Dragonfish
This species of dragonfish exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism (difference in physical traits in the same species). The female (pictured above) looks like a beast from a horror movie. The male is not only smaller in size, it has no teeth, no barbel and does not hunt. It is only around for reproduction. In the dark depths of the ocean and with such small eyes, how does this predatory fish scope out its prey? By providing its own light, in the form of photophores, aligned on the side of its body and under its eyes. The fish will light up completely in the dark and glow with an eerie blue-green or reddish light. The barbel of the female also lights up at the tip. The light is powerful enough for the fish to find its prey in the dark.
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