It mostly feeds on bony fishes and crustaceans that live in shallow waters, including crabs and shrimp.

[4] It exhibits oviparity, and lays a large amount of eggs at a time, which are gelatin-like in consistency.

[4] Brotula barbata lives in various areas of the Atlantic Ocean, in tropical and sub-tropical climates.

[5] Specifically, it occurs on the east coast of North and South America, from North Carolina down to Brazil, as well as on the west coast of Africa, from Mauritania to Angola.

Although it is sometimes a bycatch in fisheries, there are no major threats to the species, and it is therefore listed as "Least Concern" by IUCN.