Sculpin

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A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Scorpaeniformes. As of 2006, this superfamily contains 11 families, 149 genera, and 756 species.

Sculpins occur in many types of habitat, including ocean and freshwater zones. They live in rivers, submarine canyons, kelp forests, and shallow littoral habitat types, such as tidepools.

Sculpins are benthic fish, dwelling on the bottoms of water bodies. Their pectoral fins are smooth on the upper edge and webbed with sharp rays along the lower edge, a modification that makes them specialized for gripping the substrate. This adaptation helps the fish anchor in fast-flowing water.

Video Sculpin

Families

Families include:

• Abyssocottidae: deep-water sculpins (24 species)
• Agonidae (47 species)
• Bathylutichthyidae (two species)
• Comephoridae: Baikal oilfishes (two species)
• Cottidae: common sculpins (258 species, including Icelidae, sometimes regarded as separate)
• Cottocomephoridae: bighead sculpins, Baikal sculpins (9 species)
• Ereuniidae: deepwater bullhead sculpins (three species)
• Hemitripteridae: sea ravens, sailfin sculpins (eight species)
• Psychrolutidae: fatheads (40 species)
• Rhamphocottidae: the grunt sculpin (one species)

Maps Sculpin

Gallery

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References

Source of article : Wikipedia