The toadfish (Batrichthys sp.) is a bottom-dwelling ambush predator that favours sandy or muddy substrates. Its colouration mimics the sand it’s usually found in, and that helps it avoid detection by prey. Hence, it is considered a cryptic fish. Good luck spotting it at the Aquarium!

Photo by Ingrid Sinclair

The male is known for making a very funny noise with its swim bladder; he does this to attract females.

This toadfish “song” sounds more like something else to us …

The toadfish is found all around the world, mostly in the ocean but sometimes in brackish water too.

Photo courtesy Flickr/Sylke Rohrlach (under licence CC BY-SA 2.0)

One toadfish subfamily, the Thalassophryninae, is found exclusively in freshwater habitats in South America.

Thalassophryne amazonica. Photo courtesy Seriously Fish