Batrachoididae

Some fish look like toads. They live on the sandy bottom. They hide to catch food.

These fish can even sing! The males make loud sounds. They use a part of their body to hum. The sound can be heard from the top of the water.

Some of these fish live in the sea. Others live in rivers. They eat worms and small fish.

They can stay out of water for a day. Some use their fins to move on mud. This helps them find new spots.

Male fish build nests for eggs. The fathers stay to guard them. They keep the babies safe until they can swim.

Toadfishes are a unique family of fish. Their name comes from how they look. They look a lot like toads. Most toadfish live on the ocean floor. They like to hide in sand or mud. This helps them hide from their food. They are ambush predators. This means they wait for prey to swim by. Then they strike quickly.

Some toadfish have special parts. A group called Thalassophryninae has venom glands. These are parts that make venom. The venom can cause a painful wound. This helps them scare away predators.

Toadfishes are famous for their singing. Male toadfish make sounds to find mates. They use a swim bladder to do this. A swim bladder is a gas-filled part of the body. The males contract muscles to let air out. This makes a hum or a whistle. The sound can be heard from the water's surface.

Male toadfish are very good parents. They build nests and guard the eggs. The males stay near the nest to keep babies safe. They do not leave to hunt for food. The babies stay near the father for weeks. This is very rare for fish.

Toadfishes are a special family of fish. Their name comes from how they look. They look much like toads or frogs. Most toadfish live on the bottom of the water. They like to hide in sand or mud. This helps them stay hidden from their prey. They are ambush predators. This means they wait for food to swim by. Then they strike very quickly.

How these fish live is very interesting. Many toadfish hide in rock cracks or plants. Some even dig dens in the mud. They eat sea worms and small crabs. Some can even live out of water for 24 hours. They use their fins to move across mud. Most toadfish live in the salty ocean. Some live in brackish water. One group lives only in freshwater rivers. For example, the Thalassophryne amazonica lives in the Amazon River.

Scientists have studied these fish for a long time. The oldest known toadfish is likely Bacchiaichthys. It lived during the Late Cretaceous in Italy. This was a very long time ago. Other fossils have been found in France and the Czech Republic. One fossil named Louckaichthys was from the Oligocene. Another named Zappaichthys was from the Miocene in Austria.

Toadfishes have many different body parts. They usually do not have scales. Their eyes are set high on large heads. Most have two fins on their backs. The first fin has sharp spines. Some fish in the Thalassophryninae group have venom. These spines are hollow and carry venom. This can cause a painful wound to a predator. They can be many sizes. The Thlassophryne megalops is one size. The Pacuma toadfish is another size.

One of the most amazing things is how they make sound. Male toadfish are famous for singing. They use a swim bladder to make noise. They contract muscles to release air. This makes a hum or a whistle. The sound can be heard from the surface. Males also build nests for their eggs. They stay to guard the babies for weeks. The males do not leave to hunt during this time. This kind of care is very unusual for fish.

The Batrachoididae family includes a group of fish commonly called toadfish or frogfish. Their names come from their physical appearance, which looks much like a toad or a frog. In scientific terms, the name comes from the Greek word "batrakhos," meaning frog. These fish are benthic ambush predators. This means they live on the bottom of the water and wait for prey to swim near them. They often use cryptic coloration to blend into their surroundings. This helps them stay hidden from the animals they want to eat.

Toadfish have several unique physical features. Most species are scaleless and possess large heads with eyes set high up. Their mouths are large and include both a maxilla and a premaxilla. Many species also have skin flaps or barbels near their mouths. They have two separate dorsal fins on their backs. The first dorsal fin is smaller and contains sharp spines. The second dorsal fin is larger and has between 15 and 25 soft rays. Their bodies can vary greatly in size. For example, the Thlassophryne megalops and the Pacuma toadfish represent different ends of this range.

Some members of this family have developed specialized defenses. All toadfish have sharp spines on their gill covers, also called the opercle. In the subfamily Thalassophryninae, these spines are actually hollow. These hollow spines connect to venom glands. If a predator is attacked, the fish can deliver a painful wound through this venom. Additionally, some species in the genus Porichthys, known as midshipman fishes, possess photophores. These are light-producing organs, and these fish also have four lateral lines along their bodies.

Toadfish are found in habitats all around the world. Most of these fish live in the salty ocean. However, some live in brackish water, which is a mix of salt and fresh water. One specific subfamily, the Thalassophryninae, lives only in freshwater. You can find species like Thalassophryne amazonica in the Amazon River. Another species, Daector quadrizonatus, lives in the Atrato River in Colombia. These fish can live in many areas, from near-shore spots to very deep waters. Some can even survive out of water for up to 24 hours.

One of the most famous behaviors of the toadfish is "singing." Male toadfish use a swim bladder, which is an internal gas-filled organ, to produce sound. They contract muscles to release air, creating a noise that sounds like a hum or a whistle. This sound can be loud enough for humans to hear from the surface of the water. Males use this singing to attract females to their nests. This process is a key part of their reproduction. After mating, the eggs are attached to the nest using a sticky side.

Toadfish exhibit a level of parental care that is very unusual for fish. After the eggs are laid, the male guards the nest against predators. During this time, he cannot leave the nest to hunt for food. He must survive on a very limited food supply while he protects the offspring. The eggs grow into embryos while attached to the nest for three to four weeks. Once they are larger, the young fish cluster around and hide behind the male. They stay close to him until they are large enough to survive on their own.

The history of the toadfish stretches back to the Late Cretaceous period. They are considered among the most basal percomorph orders. The earliest known toadfish is likely Bacchiaichthys from the Late Cretaceous of Italy. While some scientists have disputed its status, recent studies still classify it as a batrachoidiform. Other fossils have been found in France from the Early Eocene. In the Oligocene, a fossil called Louckaichthys was found in the Czech Republic. Finally, Zappaichthys fossils have been identified from the Miocene in Austria.