Weevers (or
weeverfish) are 9
extant species of
fishes of family
Trachinidae, order
Perciformes. They are long (up to 37 cm), mainly brown in color, and have poisonous spines on their first
dorsal fins and
gills. During the day, weevers bury themselves in sand, just showing their eyes, and snatch prey as it comes past, which consists of
shrimp and small fish. Weevers are unusual in not having
swim bladders, as do most
bony fish, and as a result, sink as soon as they stop actively swimming. With the exception of
T. cornutus from the southeast Pacific, all species in this family are restricted to the eastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean). A tenth, extinct species,
Callipterus speciosus, is known from the
Monte Bolca lagerstätte of the
Lutetian epoch.