Oyster Toadfish
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Name: Oyster Toadfish |
| Scientific name: Opsamus tau | |
| Range: Western Atlantic from Maine to the West Indies | |
| Habitat: found on mud, oyster shell, rock, along sand bottoms and garbage dumps in shallow water. | |
| Status: Not threatened | |
| Diet in the wild: preys on crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and just about anything else it can get its mouth on. | |
| Diet in the zoo:not really a diet | |
| Location in the zoo: aquarium |
Physical description:
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General information:
 Oyster
toadfishes live in western atlantic from maine to the west indies, they
prey on mostly anything that they can get a hold of but they are particularly
fond of mollusks, and fish. oyster toadfish along with the other
family members are known for producing vocalizations, accomplished by rapid
muscle contractions. the male produces a froghorn sound which may
attract females to a nesting site. the spawing season last from april to
october. the toadfish has really no value and is generally considered a
nuisance due to its powerful and potentially dangerous jaws which make
it tough to remove from fishing hooks however if you are lucky enough to
catch one they are edible. |
| Special anatomical, physiological
or behavioral adaptations: The oyster toadfish is very unique it has sound
which make the oyster fish a subject of its share of studies of fish communication.
the male produces a sound like a boatwhistle that is associated with mating
and nesting. both males and the females make a grunting sound which
appears to be aggresive and territorial in nature. the source of
both these sounds is the toadfishes swimbladder, which contains a pair
of the fastest contracting muscles in any animal. the sound producing
structure is similar and the difference in sound made by the male and the
female may result from neural and hormonal differences rather than the
variations in structure of the swimbladder. this has puzzled scientist
for years.
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Comments about the toadfish of the Fort Worth Zoo:
The Fort Worth Zoo toadfish seemed to be going a little crazy when I was there ... the zoo keepers noted that they almost always seem to be going crazy they are active swimmers and like to show their teeth a lot so that way people will beware |
| Personal Observations:
The oyster toadfish seems to swim a lot and seems to be a very aggresive hunter. It looked to be very hungry but maybe its teeth just fooled me. |
| Source Materials and Related Links: |
 Stacey
Balandran
Send E-mail to sbalandran@hotmail.com or to mac@whozoo.org |
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