The Weever Fish

Weever - Trachinus araneus
Elongated, flattened body. Head is not very large, but the mouth is wide. The dorsal fin and the operculum have dangerous venomous spines. Yellowish-grey with dark blotches of varying sizes. Found buried on sandy or sandy-muddy bottoms, from 2-3 metres to 100. Maximum size 50 centimetres.

Weevers (or Weeverfish) are nine species of fish of family Trachinidae, order Perciformes. They are long (up to 37 cm), mainly brown and have poisonous spines on their first dorsal fin and gills. During the day, weevers bury themselves in sand, just showing their eyes, and snatch prey as it comes past, which consists of shrimps and small fish. Weevers are unusual in not having a swim bladder as do most bony fishes and as a result sink as soon as they stop actively swimming. With the exception of T. cornutus from the south-east Pacific, all species in this family are restricted to the eastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean).

Big Mouth