No sunlight and few snacks… sounds like paradise… for an anglerfish!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
For decades, scientists assumed harsh deep-sea conditions limited evolution. No sunlight and fewer resources could lead to fewer weird fish. But is that true?
Elizabeth Miller and team dove into the question. They viewed how anglerfish changed over time using DNA and 3D body scans to track their bizarre shapes.
Turns out, the deep sea isn’t a dead end. Anglerfish evolved faster and into wilder shapes than their shallow-water cousins. Think oversized jaws, tiny eyes, and silhouettes straight out of a horror movie. Cute!
So even in the deepest, darkest oceans, evolution doesn’t slow down.
Down there, weird wins.
Reference: Miller, E. C., Faucher, R., Hart, P. B., Rincón-Sandoval, M., Santaquiteria, A., White, W. T., Baldwin, C. C., Miya, M., Betancur-R., R., Tornabene, L., Evans, K., & Arcila, D. (2025). Reduced evolutionary constraint accompanies ongoing radiation in deep-sea anglerfishes. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9, 474–490. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02586-3