Sleeper fish go by “elephant fish” in Khmer, and there are 4 sleeper fish species in Cambodia. Fishermen raised them in farms for importing abroad and for decoration purposes due to their unique appearance. They live in the brackish and fresh waters of the Chao Praya and Mekong basins along with rivers and other water bodies across Southeast Asia. Want to find out the 4 species in Cambodia? Feel free to check them out below.
Duckbill Sleeper (ត្រីដំរីស្រួច)
A duckbill sleeper is a medium-sized fish measuring 6.9 to 15.5 centimeters long, and it has an interesting appearance. Its head is subcylindrical in shape while the body is a little flat, and it is dusky gray to olive in color. That is not all, these fish even have the ability to change colors to blend in with their environments. This fish has a very large mouth with its lower jaw extending past its upper jaw, and both jaws contain tiny sharp teeth.
Duckbill sleepers inhabit both brackish and freshwater habitats but they are also common near estuaries, lagoons, and mangrove forests. Southeast Asia is not the only home to them, their distribution spreads across Australia, East Africa, and the South China Sea. In their range, they feed on crustaceans, small fishes, and worms with a unique hunting technique. It is a little peculiar for this sleeper fish species to go by the nickname crazy fish, because why? A duckbill sleeper aligns its body against the nearest surface which appears horizontal, vertical, or even upside down to ambush prey. This strange behavior is the reason why it got this common nickname, like which fish eats upside down like them?
Dusky Sleeper (ត្រីដំរីខ្មៅ)
Dusky sleepers are slightly larger than the duckbill, growing up to 18 to 26 centimeters long. This sleeper fish species has different colorations ranging from pale grayish-brown to dark brown with narrow horizontal lines on the sides. The colors allow them to thrive in their habitats such as mud bottoms in lower reaches of freshwater estuaries, lagoons, and streams. Their regular meals are crustaceans, gastropods, insects, and benthic zooplankton.
Marble Goby (ត្រីដំរី)
Here you are looking at an economically important sleeper fish species due to the demand for them by farms and local commercial fisheries. It is very popular among the Chinese community because of its fine texture and delicious white flesh. A marble goby has an average length of 30 centimeters but there are individuals that grow as long as 65 centimeters. This sleeper fish species is native to brackish and fresh waters of the Chao Praya and Mekong basins. They are also quite common in rivers and other water bodies in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries.
In Cambodia, we cook them in various cuisines, and marble goby is also a part of our folk tale as well. The tale is called មរណៈមាតា (Mother Death/Moranak Meada), and it is quite similar to Cinderella to some extent but way sadder. This tale was made into movies, and it captured many people’s hearts because of the misfortune of the mother and daughter. There is still a happily after in the end but 90% of the story is very emotional.
Mud Sleeper (ត្រីដំរីតឿ)
There is not a lot of information about mud sleepers, and here is all I can find. This sleeper fish species has a moderately flattened head with a pale beige to brown body. It is different from other similar species because of the 4 to 7 regular bands on its body. Mud sleepers inhabit lower reaches of estuaries, mangroves, rivers, and tide pools where they feed on crustaceans, mollusks, and small fishes.
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