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Sculpin Questions


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#1 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 12 April 2014 - 12:01 PM

Well I finally made a positive id on a couple of Sculpins in my local stream, at least as positive as I can be without actually getting the fish to hand. Not sure whether they were Mottleds or Slimys though. I found them very obliging as far as sitting still to let me get a good look after I flipped over the rock they were under, at least until a net hit the water. Then I noticed that the rocks had amber colored eggs on the underside that the fish were possibly guarding. So do Sculpins lay their eggs in this fashion, and do they guard them?

#2 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 12 April 2014 - 01:56 PM

They do. I have spawned them in aquaria, but they did not hatch. I suppose my temps were a bit too high, and led to bacteria growth.

#3 Guest_Subrosa_*

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Posted 12 April 2014 - 02:24 PM

Thanks for the confirmation Matt! The reluctance of the fish to leave the area led me to believe it.

#4 Isaac Szabo

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Posted 12 April 2014 - 08:17 PM

The reluctance of the fish to leave the area led me to believe it.


In my experience this is pretty standard behavior for sculpins whether or not they are guarding eggs (at least for the species I have been around). They seem to have a very limited flight response, often standing their ground until they are touched, and then not fleeing very far. It seems their strategy to avoid predation is to stay still and rely on camouflage. The behavior is probably also related to being an ambush predator. They are one of the few natives that will sometimes tolerate gentle handling. They are quite easy to photograph as well.

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