Marine Life / Frogfish

Giant frogfish

Antennarius commerson

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Lophiiformes

Family

Antennariidae

Genus

Antennarius

Species

Antennarius commerson

The giant frogfish (Antennarius commerson) is the largest frogfish species, a lumpy, sponge-like ambush hunter that can reach well over 30 cm. Individuals come in yellow, orange, red, green, brown or black, and can slowly change colour to match the sponge or coral they sit on.

It waits motionless, waving a short lure with a small tassel to draw in fish, then strikes with one of the fastest feeding movements in the animal world. Its rough, often pitted skin and the dark spots that mimic sponge openings make it surprisingly hard to spot despite its size.

The giant frogfish lives on coral reefs and rocky slopes across the Indo-Pacific, including throughout the Philippines, where it is a regular find on reef slopes, sponges and artificial structures, and the same individual may stay in place for weeks.

Photo: Borja Fierro-Leva, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist