Football fish

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New Horizons fish

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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, Chōchin'ankō) is an uncommon fish introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. It can be found between 4 PM and 9 AM between the months of November and March. All catchable football fish are female due to their average size.

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

#6

Event availability	None
Location	Saltwater Shores
Shadow size	Large
Fish size	50.1 cm - 69.8 cm
Rarity	★★★
Catch rate	Cannot be caught at this time.
Selling price	3,000 Bells
Request reward	1,500 Bells, 3 Friendship Points Fortune Cookie (20%), Bronze Treats (30%)

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
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?" —Blathers

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?" —Blathers

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

"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." —Blathers

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.

Real-world information

A real life Football Fish

The Himantolophus or 'Football Fish' is a type of 'anglerfish' found in tropical and sub-tropical waters in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. They live deep underwater. 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 football fish 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.

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

Names in other languages

	チョウチンアンコウ Chōchin ankō	(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