What does the wolf-tooth goby eat? A detailed explanation of its diet
The wolf-tooth goby, also known as the wolf-tooth goby, red eel goby, and so on, is a fish of the genus Taenioides in the family Amblyopinae (eel gobies), distributed in the western Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and found along the coasts of China, with larger catches in the South China Sea and East China Sea. In places such as Hong Kong, China and Vietnam, this type of fish can be served as a table delicacy. Now let us take a look together at what the wolf-tooth goby eats!
Morphological characteristics of the wolf-tooth goby
The wolf-tooth goby's eyesight has degenerated, with both eyes hidden beneath the skin, and its mouth is very large, with curved long teeth protruding outside the lips, and its scales have degenerated. The body is elongated and laterally compressed, appearing ribbon-like. The typical body length is 9-20 cm, and the body weight is 20-35 g. The eyes are small, degenerated, and buried beneath the skin. The mouth is large and oblique, with the lower jaw and chin protruding forward. The outer rows of teeth on the upper and lower jaws consist of 6-12 sharp, curved large teeth protruding outside the lips, exposed outside the mouth when the mouth is closed, resembling wolf teeth. The dorsal fin, caudal fin, and anal fin are connected to each other as a single unit. The pectoral fins are broad and long, with the upper fin rays free and filamentous. The body is bare and scaleless. The whole body is purple. The pectoral fins and pelvic fins sometimes have dark brown edges.
Distribution environment of the wolf-tooth goby
The wolf-tooth goby is mostly distributed in warm and temperate freshwater, brackish water, and marine waters, inhabiting muddy environments such as estuaries, bays, mangrove wetlands, or sandy coastal waters. Because this fish knows how to dig sand burrows to hide, it is generally not easy to see, so Malaysian fishermen rarely catch this type of fish. The wolf-tooth goby is also commonly known as snake soup, wolf lai, or naughty fish, and it is called naughty fish because this fish has very strong vitality; even if its head is cut off, it will not die within a short time.
What does the wolf-tooth goby eat?
The wolf-tooth goby has a very omnivorous diet. Fish, shrimp, worms, and the eggs of other fish that are smaller than it are all food for the goby. It mainly feeds on crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, small fish, clam larvae, and so on. Some feed on benthic diatoms, and freshwater-living species also eat aquatic insects and worms. It has strong vitality and is not easy to die out of water. However, its carnivorous nature is not absolute either. Many people also choose to feed it with soybean cake or crushed peanuts when raising it. There are also many things on the market that can be given to gobies to eat, such as specialized fish feed and trapped wild miscellaneous fish.