Toadfish

ID points

• Big flat head and wide mouth, shaped like a toad
• Makes a deep croaking sound by vibrating its swim bladder
• Usually hides in a hole or empty shell with only its head showing

Basics

Family

Batrachoididae

Length

20–40 cm

Depth

0-50 m

Regions

Caribbean & W. Atlantic

Distribution

Tropical coastal reefs and sand or mud bottoms

Habitat

Coastal reefs and muddy bottoms

Diet

Crustaceans and small fish

Easily confused with

FlounderExtremely flattened body lying flat on the seabedScorpionfishHead covered in skin flaps and spines, breaking up its outlineStonefishAlmost impossible to tell apart from an algae-covered rock

Fun fact

Remarkably ugly, but able to produce an extraordinarily loud foghorn of a call to attract a mate, loud enough to carry through a boat hull and be heard by the crew.