Sea toad fish. Order: Batrachoidiformes = Toad-like (Batrachoidiformes)

In living nature you can find a real abundance of a wide variety of creatures, distinguished by their bizarre forms. One of these is the toad fish - an amazing representative of the fauna. Let's get to know him better.

Description

Toadfish is one of the sea ​​creatures, you can meet her in the waters Atlantic Ocean, where she lives at the bottom, buried in silt or sand.

Distinctive features of this unusual creation nature are as follows:

• The size of the elongated body is up to 30 cm.
• The chest and head are massive; against their background, the small tail and fins look even more miniature.
• The lower lip is unusual: it has a kind of leathery fringe on it, which gives the toadfish its picturesque appearance.
• The deep-set eyes are small and have a blue or reddish tint.
• Large mouth.
• The color is yellowish-gray with a brown tint and fancy spots of various shapes.
• There are no scales.
• The fins are covered with poisonous spines.
• Sharp spines can be observed on the gills, which are also poisonous.
• The average weight can reach two kilograms.

They differ not only in their unusual appearance, but also with your own voice. Due to frequent muscle contractions, fish manage to make sounds reminiscent of drum roll, whistling, groaning, grumbling or humming. Signals are most often given to other members of the species, letting them know that this place already has an owner. However, sharp and loud sounds are audible to humans and cannot be called pleasant.

The three-spined toadfish batrachomoeus trispinosus, living in the waters, looks even more interesting and unusual Pacific Ocean in hot latitudes. Her entire body is covered with bizarre growths, which is why this creature seems downright ugly to some.

Lifestyle

In nature, it prefers to live at the bottom of shallow reservoirs near the shores. Leads predominantly night image life, during the day it hides in secluded grottoes. It is interesting that these often choose discarded mollusk shells or cans that have fallen to the bottom as a home. It's amazing in nature sea ​​creature uses worms, crabs, and fry for food. Thanks to its camouflage coloring, the fish completely blends into the seabed. Sitting motionless, she patiently waits for an unwary fish, after which she deftly grabs it. When food cannot be obtained, this creature can also feast on vegetation.

Reproduction

Reproduction is quite interesting: fish create strong pairs and are monogamous. They take good care of the offspring: both parents will be present at the clutch, protecting it, until the fry appear. And after that, they don’t immediately leave the kids, but stay with them for a while.

They are slow and move extremely reluctantly. They have no commercial value, but have found use as an exotic decoration for aquariums.

A toad fish in an aquarium will become a real decoration and pride for an aquarist, as it is distinguished by its peaceful disposition and unpretentiousness. But in order for her to feel comfortable, it is necessary to purchase a fairly impressive container - for one individual you will need at least 250 liters. The optimal water temperature is approximately 25°C. It is recommended to use slightly salty or even fresh water, it all depends on the conditions in which the acquired individual previously lived.

These creatures quickly get used to being kept in captivity and even begin to recognize their owner. They should be fed a variety of meat foods: small fish, shrimp, and squid meat are suitable. If you want and have patience, you can train unusual pet take food directly from your hands. It is recommended to feed your pet no more than 1-2 times a week. Keeping such an unusual creature will not cause problems, the main thing is to choose enough neighbors large fish so that they do not become food for the underwater toad. However, one cannot count on reproduction in captivity, as long as there are no known cases of offspring in fish kept in aquariums.

It is very important to remember that the toad fish is a poisonous creature, its secretion is similar in effect to the venom of a scorpion: not fatal, but very painful and can cause allergies. Therefore, if you accidentally prick yourself on a thorn or thorn, you should take an allergy medicine and treat the wound with a hot compress - under the influence high temperature the toxin will be destroyed.

Toadfish in marine aquarium It looks very beautiful and unusual, but the main thing is to remember to be careful and take proper care of it.

In our minds, toads are not very pleasant creatures. Did you know that among fish there are toads? Yes, yes, that’s exactly what they are called: toad fish.

What kind of creature is this? Where does it live and what does it eat? And is it as terrible as its amphibian “namesake”? Toadfish belong to the class of ray-finned fish. The order in which these creatures fall is called toad-like fish, family - toad-shaped fish, genus - toad-fish. Why did the representative of the fish kingdom get the name toad? Is it all about appearance?

It turns out - no. Toadfish can make sounds. They, of course, do not resemble croaking, but most of all resemble a hoarse grunt.

What does this creature look like?

This bottom fish doesn't grow too much large sizes. Maximum length her body is about 35 centimeters.

The body shape of this fish is teardrop-shaped. The toadfish's body is naked and has no scales. By the way, this is another feature that gives the fish a resemblance to an amphibian. The body color is camouflage. The toadfish is very good at blending in environment. When it lies at the bottom, buried in the ground, it is generally impossible to distinguish it from a stone overgrown with mud and algae.

The head is flattened. The mouth is simply huge, with large, plump lips. But what really stands out about this fish is its eyes, they are so big, just like a real toad’s! This fish also boasts the presence of many spines, through the tubules of which poisonous liquid flows. Still, it’s better not to meet this fish, because it can not only scare you with its scary appearance, but also inject a portion of poison into your body.

Where does the toad fish live?

These underwater inhabitants are quite widespread on Globe. They can be found in the waters of all oceans except the Arctic. In ocean waters, this fish chooses warm zones.

The toadfish is a true predator.

The lifestyle of the toad fish and its diet

Almost its entire existence, the toad fish is in a motionless state. She especially loves to burrow into the ground. At the same time, she hides her entire body at the bottom, leaving only her eyes on the surface. In this way, the fish not only camouflages itself and protects itself from enemies, but also lies in wait for its prey.

And the toad fish feeds on both plant and animal foods. In addition to algae, small crustaceans, fish, and worms may appear on her “dining table”.

When the prey swims closer, the toad fish, without hesitation, rushes at it and literally swallows it with lightning speed! And this, despite the external sluggishness and slowness.

Reproduction

The spawning season for these fish begins in June – July. One female toadfish lays up to 500 eggs, which the male then guards for about three weeks.

Toadfish fry closely resemble tadpoles. This is another of the many similarities between fish and amphibians. Toad fish become sexually mature when they reach two years of age.

“Injection” with a poisonous thorn, how is it dangerous?

Toadfish poison for humans mortal danger, such as poison

It would seem that we live in a time when everything has already been discovered, found and studied, but there are no unknown animals left at all.

But, nevertheless, nature never tires of making surprises for people. An example of such a surprise was the discovery in 2009 by zoologists David Hall, Rachel Arnold and Ted Pietsch of Histiophryne psychedelica, or, simply put, the psychedelic frogfish. This is a small fish, only about fifteen centimeters long. But it has such an extraordinary appearance that initially it is even difficult to understand - is it a fish or something else?

The psychedelic fish is a representative of the order Anglerfish; zoologists consider it a “relative” of the monkfish.

But they have differences: to attract prey, they use a special appendage on their head, and the psychedelic frog fish has developed its own methods of hunting, for which the presence of an appendage is simply not required. Psychedelic fish, like monkfish, belongs to the clownfish family, in which this fish has other “relatives”, including the painted frogfish.

One of characteristic features psychedelic fish (as well as other frog fish) is the presence of thick and flabby skin. But this fish has no scales at all. Common habitats for psychedelic fish are coral reefs. This is a great place to hunt. But there is also reverse side medals - it can cause harm skin psychedelic fish. This explains the fact that the skin of this fish is often covered with mucus, which allows it to avoid injury from sharp corals.

The psychedelic frogfish has an unusual coloration - many stripes of white, brown and yellowish colors that form an intricate motley pattern. Just like fingerprints on humans and stripes on tigers, the pattern of stripes on each psychedelic fish is completely individual.

At first glance, it may seem that with its variegated color, the psychedelic fish can scare away potential prey. In fact, the opposite is true: these multi-colored stripes on the frogfish’s body resemble corals, and it is precisely this circumstance that helps it to camouflage itself perfectly. Sometimes it is simply impossible to distinguish fish from coral without special equipment. Most often, the psychedelic frog fish can be seen in coral reefs near the island of Bali in Indonesia.

The eyes of the psychedelic fish also attract attention. Although they are quite small in size, they actually give the impression of being quite large due to the bright turquoise spots located on the head of the fish. They are also called “slaps”. The psychedelic frogfish, like most other creatures of the sea, has potential opponents.

To scare them away, the frog fish has developed its own method of intimidation: it protrudes its mouth forward, as a result of which the fish’s head visually increases in size. And her enemy cannot stand such a spectacle and retreats. The eyes of a psychedelic fish are located in the same way as those of a person: in front, and not on the sides, as is typical for most fish.

Opsanus tau) - a species of fish of the toad-like family, or batrachidae (Batrachoididae).

It is found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans on muddy or sandy bottoms, sometimes burrowing into it up to the eyes.

Hunts for small fish, crabs, mollusks, worms, motionlessly lying in wait for prey that dares to approach it.

The body consists mainly of a head, flattened, with a large mouth and reaches 20-35 centimeters in length.

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When it comes to the sounds made by animals, fish are the last thing that comes to mind. But not all fish are silent. For example, fish from the toadfish or batrachidae families are famous for their ability to make loud sounds, reminiscent of a grinding sound, a hoarse grunt, or a train whistle.

But there is one species among them - the three-spined toadfish, which can “sing” in 2 voices. In nature, this is usually restricted to songbirds, some mammals, and infants.

This miracle was made possible thanks to special structure swim bladder. Often it acts not only as an organ that provides buoyancy, but also plays the role of a sound resonator. In all other species of toadfish, the swim bladder has the usual single structure. In three-spined fish, it is divided into 2 parts. Each of them has its own nerve endings and muscles, which can contract up to 200 times per second! As a result, the fish can make complex, two-voice sounds.

In nature, such polyphonic (nonlinear) sounds in animals most often signal anxiety or a request for help. Why the toad fish needs them is not yet entirely clear. Perhaps to summon the opposite sex or to scare away enemies from one’s territory.

Toadfish have a fairly wide distribution range. They prefer warm waters Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Our heroine lives among the reefs and mangroves in the western part of the Pacific Ocean (off the coast of China, Malaysia, Australia).

It was not for nothing that this fish was nicknamed Toad. Firstly, the sounds it makes are somewhat reminiscent of croaking, and secondly, in appearance it is painfully reminiscent of this amphibian: a naked, scaleless body, a large flattened head with a huge mouth and big eyes bulging eyes (or as they are also called “toad” eyes). The resemblance to a toad is complemented by skin growths on the chin.

This fish is not so big - 20-35 centimeters. The body is slightly compressed from the sides and is shaped like a drop. The wide mouth is strewn with numerous teeth. The camouflage coloring allows it to blend in almost 100% with the surrounding terrain - stones and algae. For greater secrecy, she buries her entire body in sandy or muddy soil, leaving only the front part of her head on the surface.

She can remain in this motionless state for hours. But as soon as the prey—small fish, worms, small crustaceans—out of carelessness approaches it, the fish, without wasting a second, makes an ejection and the prey disappears in an instant in its huge mouth.

Some types of toadfish are poisonous, so you should be extremely careful when walking in shallow water. It is reassuring that its poison does not pose a mortal threat to humans, although the injection site is extremely painful.

In June-July they begin mating season. The female lays about 300-500 large eggs in a secluded place. After which the male tirelessly keeps watch next to them for 3 weeks. Newly hatched fry look very much like tadpoles. They reach puberty only after 2 years, when the fish reaches 10 centimeters in length.