California Lizardfish
Synodus lucioceps
Inshore Lizardfish
Synodus foetens
About
The inshore lizardfish lies still on sand or mud, blending into the bottom, until it lunges at passing prey. It can reach 48.3 cm and weigh up to 900 g.
- Length
- 30 cm · max 48.3 cm
- Weight
- max 900 g
- Depth
- up to 200 m
Appearance
This fish has a slim, cigar-shaped body built for quick bursts of speed, with a pointed snout and an upper jaw that reaches past the eye. Its large eyes sit ready to spot prey from below. The back ranges from brown to olive, fading to white or yellow on the belly, with diamond-shaped patches along its sides that usually fade as the fish grows. Juveniles carry dark spots that adults lose.
Habitat
It lives on sandy or muddy bottoms in shallow coastal water, including creeks, seagrass beds, estuaries, bays, and lagoons, and adults also range into open water over the continental shelf. It can be found from the shallows down to about 200 m.
Diet
It is an ambush predator that lies in wait, then lunges at passing prey. It feeds mainly on small fish, along with shrimp, crabs, and squid.
Breeding
This fish spawns all year round. Eggs are fertilised outside the body and scattered freely in the water rather than guarded, relying on nearby plants and rocks for cover. The larvae drift near the surface before settling to the bottom as they grow into adults.
Did you know?
In Eritrea, this fish is dried and ground into a powder that gets mixed with maize and carrots to make a low-cost, nutritious food for children.
Log it in Into the Blue
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