They live on sandy bottoms near shorelines of the temperate & subtropical Southern Hemisphere and East Asia.

[2] They are the last surviving members of the ancient family Gonorynchidae, which was much more diverse in the past.

Unlike other gonorynchids, there have been no known fossil remains of Gonorynchus identified, although they are assumed to have diverged from their closest relative (the extinct Notogoneus) during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous.

It is a nocturnal fish, feeding on invertebrates at night and burrowing into sand or mud during the day.

The flesh of Gonorynchus greyi, found around Australia and New Zealand, is reported to be "firm and of good flavour".