Fish · Least Concern
Frogfish
Antennarius commerson
About
Commerson's frogfish, or giant frogfish, is a euryhaline ray-finned fish in the family Antennariidae. It is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
- Family
- Antennariidae
- Avg size
- 20-30 cm
- Habitat
- It lives in tropical and subtropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the eastern Pacific, frequenting lagoons and sheltered rocky and coral reefs. It often associates with large sponges, underwater ropes, jetty pillars, and similar structures down to about 70 m (230 ft), most commonly around 20 m (66 ft).
- Behaviour
- Like all frogfishes, Commerson's frogfish is a voracious carnivore that strikes at almost any small animal passing within reach, mainly other fish and occasionally members of its own species. It leads a bottom-dwelling, solitary life, coming together only to mate and showing no tolerance for one another once fertilization is complete; a female may even kill or eat a male that lingers nearby. To draw in prey, it dangles a small flattened appendage as a lure.
Where & when