In 1998, NASA sent the oyster toadfish into space to investigate the effects of microgravity on the development of otolithic organs.
Oyster toadfish spawn in coastal estuaries from May through August, with some variation between latitudes.
[3] Males excavate nests under rocks or other debris and begin making advertisement calls, also known as boatwhistles and foghorns.
Females choose a mate, enter the nest, attach eggs to the underside of the structure, then leave.
Toadfish are ambush predators during the day, when they remain buried or hidden under structure and lunge for passing prey.
[8] Research has demonstrated that toadfish will call less when dolphin sounds are played from a nearby speaker.
Also, male advertisement calls are easy to detect and are critical for the animal's reproductive success.
For these reasons, toadfish have been widely studied in research that examines mating behavior, hearing sensitivity[11] and the impacts of anthropogenic noise.