Anglerfish live in the complete darkness of the ocean depths, where potential mates don’t come along very often. Luckily for the male, female anglerfish are not only comparatively huge but also very smelly, so the males dart through the depths searching frantically for a female, guided only by their noses – which are the largest, compared to the size of the fish, of any vertebrate. Once the male has sniffed out a female he swims up and clamps down on her with an unshakable bite. His teeth and jaw recede, the skin fuses and the blood systems of both animals merge. The female, who may have as many as six males attached, has a guaranteed supply of sperm, and the male is taken care of the rest of his life.


Text adapted in part from Dr Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation