Tidepool sculpin

The Tidepool sculpin lives in the demersal, non-migratory, marine, depth range 0 - 102 m environment.

The tidepool sculpin is classified as Oligocottus maculosus. - More from EncartaCollege degrees and career trainingExplore online and on-campus programs.Learn how to get that degree!Recharge your brainWe serve up a heady brew of Encarta's best. More

The tidepool sculpin is about 8 cm long. It is greenish to red above, the stomach is usually blue or green tinted with a white line. There are five irregular dark circles on its back. They eat crabs, shrimp, fish eggs, and small shrimp. More

Many scientific studies of tidepool sculpins living in tidepools have led to the opinion that this species is an obligate dweller of tidepools. Ironically, spawning is much more dense in protected areas without tidepools than on exposed headlands where pools are formed. More

Tidepool Sculpin (Oligocottus maculosus) commonly found in tidepools and can survive out of water for hours. More

The well–camoflaged tidepool sculpins hide in crevices throughout the shallows at Point Lobos, and can easily be observed by wading into tide pools from shore. The upper sculpin is a juvenile, while the lower one is an adult. More

Tidepool sculpins are, of course, found in tidepools in the mid intertidal zone. They prefer more sheltered pools away from heavy surf. Notes: Oligocottus maculosus can tolerate very high temperatures and low salinities in the intertidal realm. More

Common names

Buchikajika in Japanese (日本語)
Glowacz kaluznik in Polish (polski)
tidepool sculpin in English
寡杜父魚 in Mandarin Chinese
寡杜父魚 in Unknown
寡杜父鱼 in Mandarin Chinese
寡杜父鱼 in Unknown

Order : Scorpaeniformes
Family : Cottidae
Genus : Oligocottus
Species : Oligocottus maculosus
Authority : Girard, 1856