The Hogchoker is a small flatfish found in bays and estuaries but often spends extended time in rivers feeding on worms and insect larvae in soft mud bottoms. They get their common name because East Coast fishermen would feed these so-called "trash" fish to their hogs, after which the fish would bow its body into a suction cup and stick to the soft palate of the hog, rather like peanut butter in a dog’s mouth. They hatch with an eye on each side of the head, but as they develop, the left eye migrates so that both eyes are on the right side as an adult.
To learn more visit: http://www.fishesoftexas.org/taxa/trinectes-maculatus
Illustration by Joseph Tomelleri
