Hogchoker

Trinectes maculates

The hogchoker has a flat, rounded body that is dark brownish-gray on top and pale on the bottom. Adults have:

• Small eyes that are both located on the right, or top, side of the head.
• A rounded head with a small mouth.
• Narrow, black vertical lines or rounded spots on the top side of the body.
• Dorsal and anal fins that stretch around the body from the head to the tail.

Hogchokers grow to about 6 inches.

Where does the hogchoker live?

Hogchokers are abundant year-round residents of the Chesapeake Bay, from tidal freshwater areas to the mouth of the Bay. They are bottom-dwellers in shallow and deep waters with a sandy, silty or muddy bottom.

What does the hogchoker eat?

Hogchokers feed on worms and crustaceans. They hunt by lying half-buried in bottom sediments and changing colors to blend in with their surroundings, while both eyes look up for their prey.

How does the hogchoker reproduce?

Hogchokers spawn from May through September in inshore waters. Young hogchokers are born with one eye on each side of the head. When they are larvae, the left eye travels over the top of the head to a position next to the right eye.

Other facts about the hogchoker:

• The unusual name "hogchoker" comes from farmers who used to feed these fish to their hogs. The hogs would often choke on the fishes' scaly, bony bodies.
• Hogchokers are one of the most abundant fish in the Chesapeake Bay, though they are nearly impossible to spot when they bury themselves in the Bay's bottom sediments.
• Hogchokers are considered to be a "right-handed" flatfish because their mouth and eyes are on the right side of the body when viewed from above.
• Hogchokers can live up to seven years.