sculpins
Spiny-headed bottom fish
Sculpins are small, bottom-dwelling fish with large, flattened heads and spiny fins, found in cold coastal and freshwater habitats.
Most species are under a foot long.
They're of minor commercial importance but common in tide pools and as bycatch.
The singular is sculpin: We caught three sculpins and a sculpin that got away.
Non-target species caught accidentally
- baitfishSmall prey fish for angling
- anglerOne who casts lines
- bullheadBroad-headed freshwater fish
- trophyAward for winning
sportfish · edible · catch-and-release · bottom-fishing · ugly · undesirable
Of the sea bottom
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- bottom-dwellerOrganism living on substrate
- tidepoolCoastal rock hollow holding seawater
- freshwaterNon-saline aquatic environment
stream · estuary · rocky · gravel · sediment · riffle · coastal · intertidal
Stiff, pointed projections
- finsSwimming appendages
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- fan-shapedSpreading from single point
venomous · barbels · operculum · vertebrate · skeleton · morphology · dorsal · pelvic
Having irregular color patches
- crypticObscure in meaning
- colorationSurface hue arrangement
- blendCombine into mixture
- concealmentAct of hiding something
ambush · adaptive · sedentary · disguise · pattern · speckled · brownish · drab
Organism that consumes others
- preyAnimal being hunted
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
foraging · trophic · ecosystem · diet · territorial · spawning · reproduction · larvae
bycatch
Non-target species caught accidentally
trophy · sportfish · edible · catch-and-release · bottom-fishing · ugly · undesirable
benthic
Of the sea bottom
- substrateUnderlying supporting material
- bottom-dwellerOrganism living on substrate
- tidepoolCoastal rock hollow holding seawater
freshwater · stream · estuary · rocky · gravel · sediment · riffle · coastal · intertidal · riverbed
spines
Stiff, pointed projections
fan-shaped · venomous · barbels · operculum · vertebrate · skeleton · morphology · dorsal · pelvic · caudal
mottled
Having irregular color patches
- crypticObscure in meaning
- colorationSurface hue arrangement
- blendCombine into mixture
concealment · ambush · adaptive · sedentary · disguise · pattern · speckled · brownish · drab · countershading
predator
Organism that consumes others
- preyAnimal being hunted
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
crustaceans · foraging · trophic · ecosystem · diet · territorial · spawning · reproduction · larvae · fry
sculpinsflying fish
Marine glider with fins
blue sharks · ocean sunfish · tuna · marlin · mahi-mahi