Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Coffinfish Chaunax endeavouri
The coffinfish resembles a pink balloon covered in tiny spines and can make itself look bigger by inflating its body. It belongs to a family of anglerfish called Chaunacidae, or sea toads, that have large, flabby bodies and loose skin. Like other anglerfish, the coffinfish has a lure, but this is very small and can be hidden in a depression on the snout. Little is known of its life history, but it spends most of its time lying quietly on the bottom in muddy areas. The coffinfish is usually found in deep water on the continental shelf and slope, but has also been found in water as shallow as 165 ft (50 m).
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- Order Lophiiformes
- Length Up to 9 in (22 cm)
- Weight Not recorded
- Depth 160–1,000 ft (50–300 m)
- Distribution Temperate waters of southwestern Pacific, off east coast of Australia
