Skilletfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids skilletfish |
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The skilletfish (Gobiesox strumosus) is a small and unique fish. It belongs to a group called clingfishes. These fish live mostly in the ocean, in warm and mild waters. They are special because they have a strong suction cup on their belly. This helps them stick to rocks and shells!
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What Does a Skilletfish Look Like?
The skilletfish gets its name from its shape. It looks a bit like a frying pan! It can grow to about 3 inches long. Its body is flat from top to bottom. The head is wider than the rest of its body.
This fish has tiny eyes on top of its head. It also has strong teeth and fleshy lips. Skilletfish colors can be light gray or dark brown. They often have a mottled, or spotty, pattern. You might see about 6 faint lines around their eyes. They also have a dark band near their rounded tail fin.
The most amazing part is their special fins. Their bottom fins are changed into a large suction disk. This disk is on the underside of their body. Their top and bottom fins are set far back on their body.
What Do Skilletfish Eat?
Skilletfish are not picky eaters. They mostly munch on small sea creatures. Their favorite foods include bristle worms. They also enjoy tiny crustaceans. These small shellfish include amphipods and isopods.
Where Do Skilletfish Live?
Skilletfish usually make their homes in oyster reefs. You might also find them hiding in beds of eelgrass. They prefer shallow waters close to the shore. This is especially true during warmer months.
When winter comes, they move to deeper waters. Skilletfish almost always cling to rocks or shells. They use their strong suction disk to hold on tight.
Skilletfish Reproduction and Life Cycle
Skilletfish lay their eggs between April and August. The female fish lays a few hundred eggs. These eggs are sticky and amber-colored. She places them inside an empty oyster shell.
The male skilletfish then guards the eggs. He protects them until they hatch. When the tiny fish hatch, they are very small. They are only about 2.4 to 3.4 millimeters long. They grow quickly, adding about 9 millimeters during their development. By the time they are ready to have their own babies, they are about 40 to 45 millimeters long.
Where Can You Find Skilletfish?
Skilletfish live in many places. In the Western Atlantic, you can find them near Bermuda. They also live from New Jersey down to the northern Gulf of Mexico in the USA. Their range extends all the way to southeastern Brazil. They are not found in the Bahamas.
You can also spot them in the Eastern Central Pacific. Here, they live in coastal lagoons and tidal flats. These areas are in Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nayarit, Mexico. So, the skilletfish lives in a wide area, from New York to Brazil!
What Does Their Name Mean?
The name Gobiesox comes from Latin. It means something like "gudgeon," which is a type of small fish. The word strumosus also comes from Latin. It contains the word struma, which means a swelling or a tumor.
