Fish
Baardman
Umbrina ronchus
A silvery member of the kob and drum family, the baardman carries a short barbel on its chin that it uses to root prey out of the bottom.
Also known as tasselfish
- Habitat
- Coastal sand and reef, into Natal
Baardman belong to the sciaenid drums and croakers, a group of silvery inshore fish that grub along sandy and rocky ground. This species ranges through the eastern Atlantic and western Indian Ocean, with records reaching down the coast into Natal.
Like its relatives it has rough-edged (ctenoid) scales over the body and head, and the small chin barbel that gives the group its 'beard' names in English and Afrikaans. It favours coastal ground where it can work the bottom for small prey.