Nick Chapman, Chaloklum Diving – Koh Phangan –, Thailand
Info
The Three-spined Toadfish looks hard like a rock, it could even be mistaken for one.
Toadfish are bottom dwellers, hiding in crevices or under rocks, or burrowing into sand or mud.
With its thick head and large, high-set eyes, it lurks in excellent camouflage for prey.
This species is easily recognized by its broad, flattened head, to which fleshy lobes are attached. Frogfishes are usually brown in color, often with black spots, stripes or other markings.
The eyes are located on the top of the head and the mouth is unusually wide, with moderately strong teeth both in the jaw and on the roof of the mouth.
Batrachomoeus trispinosus has two dorsal fins with sharp spines and can hurt people.
The species has invaded rivers, and some fish regularly migrate between shallow and deep waters, feeding mainly on mollusks and crustaceans.
They move sluggishly, preferring to lie in wait and surprise their prey rather than expend excess energy hunting.
The Australian Government gives a water depth of up to 68 meters.
Toadfish are known to use a strange series of calls and grunts to attract mates or deter predators.
Dr. Aaron Rice of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, recorded the calls of captive three-spined toadfish and was able to record various 1,200 sounds.
The scientist found that 38 percent of them were nonlinear; for example, the fish could produce biphonic calls, a trick used by songbirds that gives the animal two distinct but simultaneous voices.
Synonyms:
Batrachomoeus broadbenti Ogilby, 1908
Batrachus trispinosus Günther, 1861
Halophryne trispinosus (Günther, 1861)
Pseudobatrachus eugeneius Fowler, 1937
Toadfish are bottom dwellers, hiding in crevices or under rocks, or burrowing into sand or mud.
With its thick head and large, high-set eyes, it lurks in excellent camouflage for prey.
This species is easily recognized by its broad, flattened head, to which fleshy lobes are attached. Frogfishes are usually brown in color, often with black spots, stripes or other markings.
The eyes are located on the top of the head and the mouth is unusually wide, with moderately strong teeth both in the jaw and on the roof of the mouth.
Batrachomoeus trispinosus has two dorsal fins with sharp spines and can hurt people.
The species has invaded rivers, and some fish regularly migrate between shallow and deep waters, feeding mainly on mollusks and crustaceans.
They move sluggishly, preferring to lie in wait and surprise their prey rather than expend excess energy hunting.
The Australian Government gives a water depth of up to 68 meters.
Toadfish are known to use a strange series of calls and grunts to attract mates or deter predators.
Dr. Aaron Rice of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, recorded the calls of captive three-spined toadfish and was able to record various 1,200 sounds.
The scientist found that 38 percent of them were nonlinear; for example, the fish could produce biphonic calls, a trick used by songbirds that gives the animal two distinct but simultaneous voices.
Synonyms:
Batrachomoeus broadbenti Ogilby, 1908
Batrachus trispinosus Günther, 1861
Halophryne trispinosus (Günther, 1861)
Pseudobatrachus eugeneius Fowler, 1937
