- © J.Nichols. Used with permission.
- a distinctively colored fish
Grunt sculpins, the only species in the family Rhamphocottidae, are unique looking marine fish. Distinctive characteristics include a large head that is about 60 percent of the body length, a long snout, and two bony ridges on top of the head. Instead of scales, they have small plates with many minute spines.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
North Pacific from western coast of Alaska to Santa Monica Bay in southern California; east coast of northern and central Honshu, Japan
- Amazing Facts
These fish make a wheezing-grunting sound when removed from the water, hence the name, grunt sculpin. SCUBA divers say the grunts can be heard underwater.
- At the Aquarium
Grunt sculpins are found in the Aquarium’s Northern Pacific Gallery