The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll.
Toadfishes feed almost entirely on crustaceans and small fishes.
The scaleless, slimy body tapers to a slender tail. The eggs, sometimes laid in empty shells or tin cans, are guarded viciously by the male. Other members of the family are found in tropical waters and have venomous spines. Toadfishes and their relatives are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Osteichthyes, order Batrachoidiformes, family Batrachoididae. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.