Dormitator maculatus
(Bloch 1792)
Family Eleotridae

Lateral view of a fat sleeper
The fat sleeper above was collected in Volusia County, Florida in 2015. It is now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection, UF 238006. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The fat sleeper is a member of the sleeper family. It has a gray-brown to greenish-black stout, moderately compressed body and the top of the head is flattened and broad. The dorsal profile is sloped. There is a blunt snout and terminal mouth that is turned down at the corners. The fat sleeper is a brackish and freshwater species that inhabits freshwater ponds, sloughs, canals, culverts, wet prairies and quiet areas of rivers as well as brackish mangrove and bay habitats.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Marine invader
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central, Gulf Coast, South Florida and Atlantic Coast
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