Dec 28, 2025
Kathetostoma laeve
Common Stargazer
Image source
Status: No IUCN evaluation
Distribution: Along southern Australia, New Zealand
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from T1
seen from Brazil
seen from T1
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from T1
seen from Malaysia
seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
Kathetostoma laeve
Common Stargazer
Image source
Status: No IUCN evaluation
Distribution: Along southern Australia, New Zealand
Cursed with the face of a B-list horror movie monster, the common stargazer (Kathetostoma laeve) has its eyes situated on the top of its head. This allows it to bury itself in the sand and still be able to see prey swimming overhead. Armed with sharp teeth and two venomous spines (one behind each gill cover), they are formidable predators and are unafraid to snap at anything that may disturb them. They can grow up to 75 cm in length and typically prey upon passing fish and crustaceans.
Photo source(s)