"Spesso passo inosservata al vostro sguardo, ma io vi osservo immersa tra la sabbia, e scruto ogni vostro singolo movimento!”
How to distinguish the weever from other fish
The weever is a fish that lives on sandy bottoms and where it hides for most of its day:
They are large fish ranging from 15 to 40 cm.
The body is elongated and somewhat stocky, compressed at the sides.
Only the head emerges from the sand with two large protruding eyes on the upper part of the head.
The mouth is very wide, oblique and turned upwards.
The colors vary depending on the species, from yellowish to grayish to a darker color, these animals camouflage themselves on the seabed, so generally speaking their color will be as similar as possible to the seabed in which they are found.
The first dorsal fin is black and is equipped with poisonous spines.
The second dorsal fin is very long and is composed of 21 to 32 non-poisonous spines.
Where the weever lives
The weever is typical of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to Scotland, and populates the Mediterranean Sea with 4 different species: the radiated weever, the spotted weever, the greater and thelesser. The latter is the most “dangerous” because it comes to the shore in the summer months and therefore risks being stepped on by swimmers.
They live in salt waters: sandy bottoms and depths of around 30 m are their ideal habitats, (although some specimens have been reported even at 150 m depth).
What does the weever eat?
The weever is a predator that lies in wait under the sand, poking out only its eyes and mouth waiting for a snack! It feeds on fish, crustaceans and other small invertebrates, especially at night.
“I like to lie in the sand waiting for some unfortunate snack!”
Curiosity
The weever does not have a swim bladder like other bony fish.
What is the swim bladder?
It is an organ that among its various functions, also allows buoyancy, as it is a bag that contains air, allowing the fish to regulate the depth at which it wants to stay.
“You know the buoyancy compensator used by scuba divers? They copied it from the swim bladder!”
But why doesn’t the weever have this organ? Simple! Because it doesn’t need it! It’s a bottom-dwelling animal and will never start swimming in the water column.
The venom of the weever
The weever has 5 to 7 poisonous spines on its dorsal fin which, when at rest, are lowered, but are erected when hunting, when it feels threatened or when its hiding place is threatened.
In addition to these spines, they have another very evident one on the gill cover, facing backwards.
The weever, like all other poisonous animals, has a considerable energy expenditure for the production of poison, what does this mean?
“We prefer to run away or hide rather than defend ourselves from a threat! We are not aggressive! We only sting when we are forced to do so, precisely because it is very tiring for us to produce the venom!”
In case of sting
The venom is neurotoxic and haemolytic, causing muscle necrosis around the sting area but is not dangerous for humans although the sting is very painful and can cause local infections that last for a long time and may require medical intervention.
However, rather often the painful shock is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, tremors, fainting and dizziness. Therefore, pain and tetanus prophylaxis may also be necessary.
The venom is thermolabile, that is, it loses its effect at high temperatures, therefore, to relieve the pain, immerse the affected part in hot water, or under the sand for at least an hour, the important thing is that it is hot! You should also check if there are any residues of stings and if so, remove them completely.
You can't touch anything underwater
This advice is always current and very useful because you never know what you might accidentally touch underwater...
“We don’t differentiate between divers and swimmers! If we sense a possible threat, we are ready to defend ourselves! Swimmers risk stepping on us and divers get too close to our lair! We can never let our guard down!”
Friendly Fins Tips:
Whether you are swimming, snorkeling or diving, let's try to cause as little impact as possible to the environment around us! The many animals that populate the sandy areas are used to hiding in the sand and defending themselves from any threats just like our friend the weever!
There is no need to be afraid of these animals, it is only necessary to respect them, not invading their living spaces and behaving like the "guests" we are!
We can safely do our activities, without touching anything but just enjoying the pleasant rocking of the waves!
While snorkeling and diving:
Sandy seabeds are often downgraded and underestimated! Instead they give great emotions to those who have the patience to search among the grains of sand! We can really find many animals such as the weever, intent on their daily chores of digging and hide and seek!
“We often see you intently observing the sand shining in the sunlight, but only very few of you are able to peer at us!”
The sea will always give great emotions to those who have the desire and patience to grasp them!