Head to head
Lesser Weever vs Weeverfish
Lesser Weever
VS Weeverfish
The lesser weever and the weeverfish, or greater weever, are the two weevers of European coasts, and both bury themselves in sand with venomous spines pointing upward.
| Lesser Weever | Weeverfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Echiichthys vipera | Trachinus draco |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the weever family | A fellow member of the weever family, called the greater weever |
| Size | Usually only 10 to 14 cm long, with a sandy body marked with dark streaks | Typically 15 to 35 cm long, with a long, low body and upward-facing eyes |
| Venomous spines | A black first dorsal fin with venomous spines, and further spines on its gill covers | A row of venomous black spines along the first dorsal fin plus a spine on each gill cover |
| Hunting method | Buries itself in sand with only its eyes, mouth, and black dorsal fin showing, ambushing shrimps and small fish | Spends most of the day buried in sand or fine gravel, ambushing small fish and crustaceans with a fast upward lunge |
| Depth | Sandy shallows along the shore | Over sandy or fine gravel seabeds from the shallows down to about 150 metres |
| The sting | Causes intense pain and swelling to barefoot waders who tread on it, and the usual first aid is hot-water immersion | Causes intense, localised pain that peaks quickly and eases over several hours with hot-water immersion, and is very rarely dangerous to a healthy adult |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, widespread and common on sandy coasts | Least Concern, found from Norway to the Mediterranean and northwestern Africa |
Lesser Weever vs Weeverfish: common questions
Which weever is bigger?
The weeverfish, or greater weever, which typically reaches 15 to 35 cm, while the lesser weever is usually only 10 to 14 cm.
What should you do after a weever sting?
The usual first aid is to immerse the affected foot in water as hot as can be tolerated, which eases the pain, and to seek medical advice if needed.
Are weever spines dangerous after death?
Yes, the dorsal spines stay venomous even after the fish is dead, so a caught weever should never be handled with bare hands.