The monkfish, also known as sea-devil, is a bottom-dweller. It spends most of its life on the ocean floor. It can reach 3 to 4.5 feet ( 1 to 1.3 m) in length. Females are slightly larger than males.

The monkfish spends the majority of its life on the sandy or muddy seafloor. It can be found at a depth of 3.000 feet (914 m). It has smooth (without scales) dark brown or olive green skin on the dorsal side of the body and whitish skin on the belly. It can change the color of the body to blend with the colors of the environment. Its wide mouth is filled with a large number of curved, backwards oriented teeth.

The monkfish is an ambush predator which silently sits and waits for the prey to appear. It uses a modified spine on top of the head (shaped like a filament) to lure the prey. Its diet is based on various species of fish: cods, sand eels, mackerels, herrings and sea bass. It swallows the prey in one piece.

There are 7 species of monkfish that can be found in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is an economically important type of fish. The greatest threat to the survival of the monkfish is uncontrollable fishing. Luckily, the population of monkfish is still large and stable (they are not on the list of endangered species).

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