[2] It may be found in well-vegetated riverine backwaters, floodplain lagoons, swamps, and isolated pans.

This cryptically coloured species feeds on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, crustaceans, and insects, and hunts by slow stalking.

Adults gather in large groups to breed, after which eggs are scattered in suitable places, with no further parental care.

The species is capable of surviving in warm, shallow water and may move across high ground in search of better sites in wet weather or at night.

[3] This species was formally described by the German naturalist Wilhelm Peters in 1844 with the type locality given as Quellimane, Mozambique.