Oligocottus maculosus			THE RACE ROCKS TAXONOMY

						Domain Eukarya Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata Class Actinopterigii Order Scorpaeniformes Sub Order Cottoidei Family Cottidae Genus Oligocottus Species maculosus Common Name: Tidepool Sculpin
								Ryan has recently taken some pictures while diving of some of the exotically coloured sculpins.
	We are not sure if these are all in the same species yet. The cryptic coloration shows great adaptation to blend into the underwater environment at Race Rocks The images above were taken by Ryan Murphy. See more on his Flickr site;
		Two sculpin are in this picture- camouflage blends them in. In the artificial tidepool, this sculpin as taken up residence after 5 years. This sculpin is well camouflaged. The photo was taken at about 8 meters depth.
			Sculpin have ability to blend in with their surroundings which is useful in escaping from enemies and in capturing their prey by ambush. The body is elongate, its depth about 10cm. Head somewhat depressed, its length about 6cm. The snout is blunt in profile and It is moderate in size, the upper jaw extending to midpupil. The species is very abundant in tide pools around rocky the rocky shores of Race Rocks. Tide pool sculpins show a definite tendency to return to their home pool if moved. These are very abundant in the tidepools on the north east corner of Great Race Rock. A piece of edible tissue dropped into a pool usually causes a feeding frenzy. This is a 56 k version for lower bandwidths.
							This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College Dec 2002 Abdul Mobin
					Back to The Race Rocks Taxonomy
				Sitemap Location and Maps Educational Resources Index Contact webmaster: Garry Fletcher Copyright

d