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Animal profile

Pacific Footballfish

Himantolophus sagamius

ActinopterygiiBathypelagic waters, generally below about 600 metres

Field profile

The Pacific footballfish is a globular black anglerfish whose females reach around 40 centimetres and carry a stout illicium with a branched lure. Its skin is studded with bony plates ending in spines. Specimens occasionally wash ashore in California, drawing wide attention.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-04-13

Pacific Footballfish

Footballfish strandings are counted individually

So few Pacific footballfish have ever washed up on Californian beaches that each new one is logged as a notable event, with fewer than about thirty specimens recorded worldwide since the species was described.

Read with evidence →

Pacific Footballfish | Daily Animal Facts