Horned sea robin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Horned sea robin |
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The horned sea robin, also known as Bellator militaris, is a cool type of fish that lives in the ocean. It's part of a group called sea robins, which are known for their interesting fins. You can find this fish in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean.
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What's in a Name? The Horned Sea Robin's Story
The horned sea robin got its scientific name, Bellator militaris, a long time ago. Two American fish experts, George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean, first described it in 1896. They first called it Prionotus militaris.
Later, other scientists, David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann, created a new group just for this fish. They named this group Bellator. The word militaris means "like a soldier." This name might come from the two long spines on its back fin, which look a bit like a soldier's helmet.
What Does the Horned Sea Robin Look Like?
This fish has some unique features that make it stand out. It has thin, pointy spines at the front of its nose. These spines stick out like little horns. Its mouth is quite small and doesn't reach past its eye.
The horned sea robin has a large spine near its gill cover, called the operculum. There's also a smaller spine right below it. Its first back fin has 11 spines. In male fish, the first two of these spines are very long. They can even reach past the tail fin!
The second back fin has 11 soft rays, which are like flexible bones. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, usually has 11 soft rays too. The fins on its sides, called pectoral fins, are short. They have 12 rays joined by a membrane.
Below the main part of the pectoral fin, there are three special rays. These rays are separate from the rest of the fin. The top one is shorter than the others. The fish's chest and the area above its gill cover do not have scales.
The top part of the horned sea robin's head and body is a pretty rosy red color. It also has two or three thin yellow stripes that run along its body to its tail. The first back fin is red with yellow spots. It has a small black spot between the fourth and fifth spines.
The soft back fin has three yellow stripes. It usually has a dark spot at the base of its last ray. The upper rays of the pectoral fins have clear black and white stripes. The lowest ray is dark, and the fin between these rays is pink. The tail fin has five yellow stripes on its upper part, and the lower part is red. This fish can grow up to about 16 centimeters (about 6 inches) long.
Where Does the Horned Sea Robin Live?
The horned sea robin lives in the western Atlantic Ocean. You can find it along the coast of the United States, from North Carolina all the way south. It also lives throughout the Gulf of Mexico, but not near northwestern Cuba.
In the Caribbean Sea, it has been seen from Puerto Rico to Saba. It also lives along the coasts of Central America and South America. Its range extends from Mexico down to Colombia and even off the northern coast of South America, near Suriname and French Guiana.
This fish likes to live in bays and estuaries. It can be found out to the middle of the continental shelf. It prefers sandy and muddy bottoms. You can find it at depths between 20 and 216 meters (about 65 to 700 feet). Most often, it lives between 20 and 73 meters (about 65 to 240 feet) deep.
What Does the Horned Sea Robin Eat?
The horned sea robin is a carnivore, meaning it eats other animals. It mostly eats small creatures that live on the ocean floor. These include mobile crustaceans, like tiny shrimps and crabs. It also eats zooplankton, which are tiny animals that float in the water. Sometimes, it even eats the eggs and young larvae of other fish.
