In contrast to the female, the male anglerfish reaches a maximum size of about 15cm. This is one here. He has massive nostrils and that's what he uses to find the female in the dark.
He just sniffs her out and then attaches himself. In this specimen here, this is a female, and this funny little thing at the bottom here is a male.
He's attached himself and his mouthparts have receded and merged into her, and their blood systems are now fused. So he's become like a parasite, and he has a permanent supply of food for the rest of his life, and she has a permanent supply of sperm.
It's quite a bizarre relationship, but for the anglerfishes, it works perfectly.
