Grass goby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grass goby |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gobiiformes |
| Family: | Gobiidae |
| Genus: | Zosterisessor Whitley, 1935 |
| Species: |
Z. ophiocephalus
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| Binomial name | |
| Zosterisessor ophiocephalus (Pallas, 1814)
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Genus
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The grass goby (Zosterisessor ophiocephalus) is a type of goby fish. It lives in the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. This fish is special because it is the only known member of its group, called a genus.
Contents
What Does a Grass Goby Look Like?
Grass gobies can grow to about 25 centimeters (10 inches) long. That's about the length of a school ruler! Their heads, necks, throats, and bellies are covered in small, round scales. Their gill covers, however, are smooth and have no scales.
This fish has a special sucker on its belly. It helps the goby stick to rocks or other surfaces. Its lower jaw sticks out, and its skin feels soft and slimy.
Colors and Patterns
Grass gobies are usually green-brown with brown spots that blend together. They have round, light-colored spots on their cheeks. Their top, tail, and side fins have brown stripes on a lighter background. The bottom fin and the belly sucker are dark.
Where Do Grass Gobies Live?
Grass gobies are found in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean basin. They are especially common in the northern Adriatic Sea and in lagoons like the Venetian Lagoon in Italy. You can also find many of them in the Black Sea, especially near coasts, lagoons, and estuaries. They also live in the Sea of Azov and the Sivash.
What Do Grass Gobies Eat?
When grass gobies are young, up to two years old, they mostly eat small crustaceans. These are creatures like tiny shrimp or crabs. After they turn two, they start to eat other fish too.
For example, in a place called Tuzly Lagoons, young gobies first eat tiny creatures called gammarids and Idotea. Later, they add fish like the big-scale sand smelt and other gobies to their diet. Small shrimp are also an important food source for them.
Why Are Grass Gobies Important?
Grass gobies are a food source for other animals. Some commercial fish, like the toad goby, eat them. In the Sea of Azov, even harbour porpoises (a type of marine mammal) eat grass gobies.
People also catch grass gobies for food in some areas. They are a commercial fish in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. You can find them for sale in places like the Molochnyi Estuary and the Sivash.
In Venetian cuisine (food from Venice, Italy), the grass goby is known as pesce gò or ghiozzo. It's used to make a famous dish called risotto di gò, which is a creamy rice dish.
Images for kids
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A grass goby swimming in the Black Sea.
