Blue Ridge sculpin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue Ridge sculpin |
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The Blue Ridge sculpin (Cottus caeruleomentum) is a small, interesting fish. It belongs to the sculpin family, called Cottidae. You can find it in rivers and streams in the eastern United States. These rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
Contents
Discover the Blue Ridge Sculpin
What Does the Blue Ridge Sculpin Look Like?
This fish can grow up to about 6.3 centimeters long. That's about the length of your pinky finger! It often has dark, saddle-like marks on its body. It also has a special line on its side, called a lateral line, which helps it sense movement in the water. This line is not fully complete on the Blue Ridge sculpin.
It has small spines near its gills. It also has tiny prickles behind its fins. When male Blue Ridge sculpins are ready to breed, they get special colors. Their chin, mouth, and the bases of some fins turn blue or blue-green. Even the skin around their gills can turn blue!
How Is It Different from Other Fish?
The Blue Ridge sculpin looks a lot like its cousin, the Mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi). But there are a few ways to tell them apart. The Mottled sculpin has small notches at the base of its tail. The Blue Ridge sculpin usually does not have these notches. Also, the Mottled sculpin's chin is blackish, not blue.
Sometimes, these two types of sculpins live in the same rivers. They can even have babies together, which are called hybrids.
Where Does the Blue Ridge Sculpin Live?
This fish is native to several states in the eastern U.S. You can find it in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
It lives in many different river systems. These include the Elk, Susquehanna, Bush, Patapsco, Patuxent, Potomac, Nanticoke, James, and Roanoke river drainages.
The Blue Ridge sculpin prefers living in higher, hilly areas. It is less common in flat, lowland regions. It likes to live in small creeks, springs, and fast-flowing parts of rivers called riffles. If you find it near the coast, it will only be in very cold streams.
What Does the Blue Ridge Sculpin Eat?
The Blue Ridge sculpin is a carnivore. Its diet is made up of small creatures without backbones. These are called invertebrates. It might eat insect larvae or other tiny animals it finds in the water.
What About Parasites?
Scientists have studied the tiny creatures that sometimes live inside the Blue Ridge sculpin. These are called parasites. One type of worm, a nematode called Rhabdochona cotti, has been found living in its intestines. Another new type of nematode, named Freitascapillaria laticauda, was also discovered there. These tiny worms can be over a centimeter long.
