A large estuarine flathead that lies buried in sand with only the eyes showing, waiting for something to pass over it.
To about 120 cm and at least 15 kg, the largest Australian flathead. A broad flattened head with the eyes on top, the body dark brown to sandy with spots. The tail is bluish-grey below with spots above and a dark spot near the margin, and the pectoral fins carry rows of fine brown spots.
Australian flatheads are separated on those pectoral and tail patterns, and the dark tail spot is the character here.
Nought to thirty metres in estuaries, on sheltered rocky reef, and over sand, mud and seagrass. It lies buried to the eyes and ambushes fish, crabs, prawns, octopus, squid and worms, so it is usually seen only when it moves.
It is rated harmless, but the spines along the edge of the head inflict bad cuts when a fish is handled.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.
