Bearded Velvetfish

Interesting Info

• The Bearded Velvetfish is a tiny master of disguise that looks like a scruffy pebble covered in sea fluff.
• In Australia it is a local specialist, found only in Western Australia from the Perth region north to Shark Bay.
• Some databases list it only from Shark Bay, but museum-backed sources extend the range south to Perth—so scientists treat it as a short stretch of WA coast.
• Colours vary from grey and purplish-brown to orange, mottled with blotches that match sandy and silty bottoms.
• Its “beard” is a fringe of tiny skin tassels (cirri) around the chin and snout that breaks up the fish’s outline.
• Look closely at the head, the tall dorsal fin actually begins above the eye, and there are small spines near the cheek bones.
• This velvetfish has venomous fin spines, so it’s a fish to admire with your eyes, not your hands.
• It lives on soft seafloors next to reefs, often where sand and silt collect around scattered rocks and sponges.
• Like other velvetfishes, it is an ambush hunter that waits still, then snaps up small crustaceans or tiny fishes that wander too close.
• Its camouflage is so good that divers often miss it until it twitches or shuffles its frilly fins.
• The species name intonsa means “unshaven,” a nod to that shaggy beard of skin flaps.
• Scientists first described it from Shark Bay, and most records still come from that WA region.
• Little is known about its breeding or lifespan; based on similar velvetfishes, it probably lives only a few years.
• Because it’s small, rare, and so well camouflaged, museum collections and careful photographs are key to learning more about it.