Which fish has a glowing lure on its head to attract prey?

The fish with a glowing lure on its head to attract prey is the anglerfish. Its famous “fishing rod” is a modified dorsal-fin spine called the illicium, tipped with a fleshy structure called the esca.

In deep-sea anglerfish, the esca can glow through bioluminescent bacteria living in the lure. In the darkness of the bathypelagic zone, this light mimics a small animal and draws curious prey close enough for the anglerfish to engulf it with its enormous mouth. The fish often relies on ambush rather than sustained swimming.

A common mix-up is assuming every anglerfish has a glowing lure. Anglerfish are a large order of fishes, and shallow-water relatives such as frogfish and monkfish may use camouflage, movement, scent, or prey-like shapes instead. Another surprising anglerfish fact is that some deep-sea males attach themselves to females, a reproductive strategy known as sexual parasitism.