About Gobius cobitis Pallas, 1814
The giant goby (Gobius cobitis Pallas, 1814) grows to 27 centimetres (11 in) in length. Its base color ranges from greyish to olive brown, with distinctive 'pepper and salt' markings that are particularly prominent in smaller specimens. During the breeding season, males are darker than females. Its body is covered in small scales, it has a short tail stalk, and small eyes.
This species lives in rock pools located high in the intertidal zone of sheltered shores. The rock pools it occupies typically contain boulders that provide shelter, and receive freshwater inputs, so the pool water is usually brackish.
Within the United Kingdom, the giant goby only occurs on the south coast, found along the southern coast of West Country between Wembury in southwest Devon and the Isles of Scilly. Outside the UK, it can be found from the western English Channel to Morocco, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Gulf of Suez. Its presence in the Gulf of Suez is most likely as a Lessepsian migrant that arrived via the Suez Canal.
