South Australian Cobbler

The South Australian cobbler is a heavily camouflaged, venomous ambush predator found only along southern Australia's coast. It lies motionless by day in seagrass beds, easy to miss until it strikes at night.

Also known as: soldierfish, devilfish, devil fish, cobbler

Its mottled camouflage makes it easy to mistake for a patch of rock or sand rather than a fish. The dark blotch on the dorsal fin is the clearest sign it is not just seabed debris; never touch it, since its spines carry venom.

Its body is mottled with brown to dark brown blotches on top, fading to pale underneath, a pattern that grows fainter in larger fish. Several spines sit on the head, and a dark blotch marks the dorsal fin partway along its length. A dark, oblong spot sits near the base of the pectoral fin, and the other fins often carry faint spotting or wavy markings.

It lives in shallow inshore waters, tidal pools, and estuaries, from about 2 to 26 m deep, sheltering in seagrass beds along the temperate southern coast of Australia.

This fish is a nocturnal ambush hunter that lies still during the day and becomes active at night. Smaller fish eat mostly shrimp and small crabs, while larger ones feed more on fish. It grows slowly and can live for more than 14 years. In late winter and spring, adults leave the seagrass beds and gather in deeper water in large groups, likely to spawn.

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  Notesthes robusta

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