If their was an ugly step-brother of the Delaware sea creatures, it'd be the Oyster Cracker or also know as the Oyster Toadfish. Disliked by many an angler, these not so easy-on-the-eyes fish are not so easy on the hand either. They have an armor type skin on their dorsal fin and gill area that is sharp and slices into skin if grabbed without gloves. They're teeth are sharp and they're a very aggressive species that will not hesitate to chomp, hence the name, oyster cracker. They can live in really poor conditions of water and rely on little to survive. They like inner-tidal areas which makes the muddy bottoms of the Roosevelt Inlet in Lewes and the Broadkill River a favorite haunt of theirs. Similar to bull frogs and toads, these fish make a deep croaking sound when they are agitated, like when a fisherman has it in his or her grasp.
The Oyster Cracker has this huge mouth with whiskers, the front portion of their body resembles a toad, the back flares out more similar to an eel. These chunker-lunkers have big beady eyes and certainly embody the vibe of a deep sea monster. Most of them resemble a big lumpy wad of swamp mud with a spots and dashes of a yellowish color.
Something interesting about the Oyster Cracker is during mating, the male will build a nest for the female to lay eggs in. This trait reminds me more of a frog than a fish. I guess we can all agree that the Oyster Cracker is certainly a strange hybrid species. Although hated by everyone I know, I still will always have a place for this ugly guy in my creature vault.
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