Butterfly sculpin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Butterfly sculpin |
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Melletes papilio Bean, 1880 |
The butterfly sculpin (Hemilepidotus papilio) is a unique fish. It lives in the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean. This fish is part of a special group of fish called Agonidae.
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Discovering the Butterfly Sculpin
The butterfly sculpin was first officially described in 1880. An American fish expert named Tarleton Hoffman Bean gave it its first scientific name, Melletes papilio. He found this fish near Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea, off the coast of Alaska.
Later, other scientists decided the butterfly sculpin fit better in a different group. They placed it in the genus Hemilepidotus. The second part of its scientific name, papilio, means "butterfly". This name hints at its interesting look!
What Does It Look Like?
The butterfly sculpin has a mix of colors. It can be reddish-brown, yellow, and white. It often has a shiny, metallic gold look too! You might notice four dark bands on its upper sides. These bands can even extend onto its top fin.
This fish has two fins on its back. The first one has 11 to 13 stiff spines. The second dorsal fin has 19 or 20 soft rays. Its bottom fin, called the anal fin, has no spines. It only has 16 to 18 soft rays. The scales on its belly are much smaller than the scales on its back.
The butterfly sculpin can grow up to 45 centimeters (about 1.5 feet) long. The heaviest ones can weigh around 960 grams (about 2 pounds).
Where Does It Live?
The butterfly sculpin makes its home on the ocean floor. It prefers sandy or silty areas in the northern Pacific Ocean. You can also find it in the Sea of Okhotsk.
These fish usually live at depths of 41 to 80 meters (about 135 to 260 feet). They like water temperatures that range from just below freezing to about 10.7 degrees Celsius (about 51 degrees Fahrenheit).
What Does It Eat?
Butterfly sculpins are hunters! They are predators that eat other small creatures. Their diet includes tiny shrimp-like animals called gammarid amphipods. They also munch on crabs and small fish, like young Alaska pollock.
When it's time to have babies, the female butterfly sculpin lays eggs on the ocean floor. These eggs hatch into tiny larvae that float in the water. As they grow, they settle down onto the seabed. Young butterfly sculpins start living on the bottom when they are at least 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches) long.
