Football fish

← (76) Suckerfish

New Horizons fish

Oarfish (78) →

New Horizons fish
← (76) Suckerfish	→ Oarfish (78)

Football fish
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Himantolophus groenlandicus (Atlantic footballfish) Family: Himantolophidae (footballfishes)
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  チョウチンアンコウ  灯笼鱼  Poisson lanterne  Pez balón  Pesce abissale  Гимантолоф  초롱아귀  燈籠魚  Poisson-lanterne  Pez balón  Anglerfisch  Voetbalvis

The football fish (チョウチンアンコウ, chouchin'ankou) is an uncommon fish introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. It can be found as a large shadow (medium prior to New Leaf) in the sea from 4 PM to 9 AM from late fall to early spring.

Catch details

In Wild World

#50

"I caught a football fish! Well, well... you've came a long way!"

Description	Males are only a few centimeters long. Bacteria on the fish make them glow.
Time of year	November - March
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	December - February
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Medium
Fish size	60 cm
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In City Folk

#57

"AWESOME! I caught a football fish! TOUCHDOWN!"

Description	Their lanterns are extensions of their dorsal fins. Just the female's head lights up.
Time of year	Nov – Mar
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	N/A
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Medium
Fish size	About 24 in.
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In New Leaf

#61

"I caught a football fish! Thanks to my fishing tackle!"

Time of year	Nov – Mar
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	Dec – Feb
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Large
Fish size	60 cm
Selling price	2,500 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp

The football fish is one of the 14 fish in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp that has been in the game since its release.

#6

Availability	Not currently available 2017-10-25 – 2019-08-20 2019-12-27 – 2020-03-27 2020-12-28 – 2021-03-26 2021-12-24 – 2022-03-24 2022-12-26 – 2023-03-23 2023-12-26 – 2024-03-26
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Large
Size	50.1 cm – 69.8 cm
Rarity	★★★
Selling price	3,000 Bells
Version added	0.9.0
Villager gift data	Tier: 3 (Uncommon+) Rewards:  1,500 Bells Fortune cookie (20%) +3 Friendship points

In New Horizons

#77

"I caught a football fish! Some countries call it a soccer fish!"

Time of year	North: Nov – Mar South: May – Sep
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Location	Sea
Shadow size	Large
Rarity	Uncommon
Spawn requirement	Catch 20 total fish
Selling prices	Nook's Cranny:  2,500 Bells  C.J.:  3,750 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

In Wild World

"This is rather graphic, but football fish males can get attached to females... Literally attached! And then the males get absorbed into the females! I heard this, and I thought how lucky I was to have been born an owl, eh wot?"

In City Folk

"...The most striking detail of the football fish's life is the way multiple males are cared for by one female. You heard me correctly! A single female football fish will nourish and raise multiple males by herself! In contrast to the females, males don't make nests or gather food. Their sole task is to cling to the female! ...Another tidbit: only the females possess that amazing, glowing antenna! ...Romance certainly takes many forms in the animal kingdom, eh wot?"

In New Leaf

"Football fish live in parts of the ocean so deep that light does not reach them. Their lanterns, which they sway back and forth to lure prey, can emit light thanks to special bacteria. When prey gets near, they shoot a luminescent liquid and snatch the prey while it's blinded by the light. Only females possess the useful lantern. They can grow to be about two feet by maturity. Males are small, less than two inches in length."

In New Horizons

When donating to Blathers or selecting "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fish:

"The football fish is a strange and grotesque deep-sea fish with a lantern-like light on its forehead. Its light is apparently powered by luminous bacteria and other glowing microorganisms. One theory says it can spray these luminescent sidekicks when prey approaches in order to dazzle them...The deep contains many mysteries...as well as some things that are just sort of odd and off-putting."

When donated, the football fish can be found in the north-eastern-most room of the fish exhibit, in the "deep sea" tank which is near the submersible and diving suit. It shares this tank with the barreleye, coelacanth, and oarfish.

Fishing Tourney

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a football fish, Chip will say the following dialogue.

In City Folk

"I'd say that football fish cooked in a sesame hot pot is as good as it gets! Nyuuuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!"

In New Leaf

"Football fish are really great in a rich stew or just deep fried. Man, either way, they're delicious! Not that anything will keep me from just eating this guy raw! YUM!"

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

• 

  Animal Crossing: Wild World

• 

  Animal Crossing: City Folk

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Leaf

• 

  Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information

A real-life Football Fish

Ceratias holboelli or the 'Longray Seadevil' is a type of 'anglerfish' that can be found throughout the oceans of the world, they can be found lurking in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones. Both genders have a gelatinous flesh which thickens in the females, the bacteria on their body also gives them a "glowing" appearance. Females are a lot bigger than males and they also have an esca (which is the growth coming from their head) which they use as a lure to catch other fish. The males lose their digestive system as they grow older, so therefore need to find a female before they die. Once they have found a female, they undergo a peculiar mating ceremony, where the male bites and latches onto the female and deteriorates while it is still attached to the female, once the mating is complete. Hence, only adult female longray seadevils are ever found. The males and females were once thought to be two different species.

Trivia

• In New Horizons, a male football fish can be seen attached at the rear of the female Football Fish, while the Football Fish Model that can be obtained from C.J. features the male and the female separated from one another.
  • In real life, the football fish is one of the few anglerfish genera whose males actually do not attach to the female. Male football fish are still relatively tiny to females, though they are considered the largest of all male anglerfish.

Names in other languages

	チョウチンアンコウ chouchin'ankou	(Atlantic) footballfish (lit. "light-carrying goosefish")
	초롱아귀 chorong-agwi	(Atlantic) footballfish
	灯笼鱼 dēnglóngyú	Lanternfish (likely mistranslation)
	燈籠魚 Unknown
	Гимантолоф Gimantolof	Footballfish
	Voetbalvis	Footballfish
	Anglerfisch	Anglerfish
	Pez balón	Footballfish
	Poisson lanterne	Lanternfish (likely mistranslation)
	Poisson-lanterne	Lanternfish (likely mistranslation)
	Pesce abissale	Sea fish

Pocket Camp fish

Fishing Fishing Tourney Locations Saltwater Shores Lost Lure Creek List of fish Achilles surgeonfish Amago salmon Amazon leaffish Amberjack Anchovy Angelfish Arapaima Arowana Atlantic mackerel Barbel steed Barred knifejaw Bering wolffish Betta Bitterling Black bass Black ghost knifefish Black rockfish Blowfish Bluegill Blue marlin Butterfly fish Carp Catfish Char Cherry salmon Clown fish Coelacanth Comb jelly Crawfish Crucian carp Dab Dace Dark-banded rockfish Darkfin pike eel Eel Firefly squid Flying fish Football fish Freshwater crab Freshwater goby Frilled shark Frog Frogfish Gar Giant king salmon Giant manta ray Giant river prawn Giant snakehead Giant trevally Golden trout Gold football fish Gold horse mackerel Gold olive flounder Gold tuna Gourami Harlequin shrimp Horse mackerel Horsehair crab Japanese halfbeak Killifish King catfish King dab King goliath frog King koi King olive flounder King red snapper King salmon King stringfish Koi Largehead hairtail Loach Longtooth grouper Mantis shrimp Megamouth shark Mitten crab Moorish idol Moray eel Napoleonfish Neon tetra Nomura's jellyfish Northern comb jelly Oarfish Ocean sunfish Octopus Olive flounder Ornate spiny lobster Pacific saury Pale chub Pelican eel Pike Pineapplefish Pond smelt Pop-eyed goldfish Puffer fish Rainbow trout Ray Red snapper Redtail catfish Ribbon eel Sailfin sandfish Sakura shrimp Salmon Sea bass Sea bunny Sea butterfly Sea horse Shark Silver pomfret Skipjack tuna Snapping turtle Snow crab Soft-shelled turtle Spider crab Spiny lobster Splendid alfonsino Splendid garden eel Spotted garden eel Spring mackerel Squid Stringfish Sturgeon Surgeonfish Sweetfish Sweet shrimp Tadpole Threadfin trevally Tiger catfish Tiger prawn Tilapia Tuna Vampire crab Whale shark White lumpfish Yellow perch Zebra turkeyfish List of Fishing Tourney-exclusive fish Amethyst jewelfish Aqua eggler fish Aquamarine jewelfish Atlantic horseshoe crab Barreleye Berry-chocolate fish Bicolor dottyback Bigfin reef squid Black clown fish Black horsehair crab Black ruby barb Black wakin goldfish Blackspot tuskfish Blooper Blue bewitched frog Blue flagonfish Blue moon jellyfish Blue starfish Blueberry-candy fish Chambered nautilus Cheep Cheep Cheep Chomp Cherry-candy fish Crystal red shrimp Dark-chocolate fish Diamond tetra Dorado Eep Cheep Fancy pastel arapaima Fancy pastel arowana Fancy pastel carp Flame angelfish Giant isopod Giant sparkly manta ray Giant squid Gold starfish Golden koi Goldfish Grape candy fish Great barracuda Great white shark Green bonefish Green boxfish Green discus Green lumpfish Green moon jellyfish Green Napoleonfish Green octopus Green spotted puffer Green squid Guppy Hammerhead shark Honey eel Honey sea horse Honey sea slug Horseshoe crab Icy butterfly fish Icy chambered nautilus Icy lobster Island Horse Mackerel Island olive flounder Island red snapper Island tuna Ivory arowana Lemon-candy fish Lemur-tail seahorse Lobster Longsnout seahorse Mahi-mahi Maple-leaf koi Melon candy fish Milk-chocolate fish Nebula starfish Opah Orange bewitched frog Orange bonefish Orange candy fish Orange discus Pacific cod Pink anemonefish Pink eggler fish Pink koi Pink squid Piranha Platinum black bass Platinum catfish Platinum gar Platinum pale chub Pot-bellied seahorse Purple bewitched frog Purple bonefish Purple festival fish Purple octopus Purple starfish Ranchu goldfish Red festival fish Red flagonfish Red garra Red king crab Red lionfish Red lumpfish Red sea bream Red snow crab Red wakin goldfish Ruby jewelfish Saddled bichir Saw shark Silver arowana Smalltooth sand tiger Sparkly jellyfish Sparkly whale shark Spotted knifejaw Threadfin butterflyfish Umbrella octopus Weedy stingfish White angelfish White butterfly koi White puffer fish White ribbon eel White starfish White tuxedo guppy Yellow boxfish Yellow eggler fish Yellow festival fish Yellow flagonfish Yellow king piranha Yellow moon jellyfish Yellow starfish Yellowfin tuna Zebra moray Project