Pursemouth

The pursemouth, or silverbiddy, is a small, bright silver fish with a deep, compressed body and a highly extendable mouth that shoots downward like a tube to feed. This species is slender-bodied with a long tail and faint markings. It frequents sandy bays, estuary mouths and shallow inshore flats along the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coast.

Pursemouths use their extendable jaws to suck small invertebrates and worms from soft sediment, working over sand and mud in loose schools. They are common bait and light-tackle fish rather than a diving target, and are easily overlooked by spearos. The flesh is edible but bony, and most fish are used as bait for larger predators.