| Bony Fishes |
Threespine Stickleback
Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus
| Conservation Status: Safe for Now
The threespine stickleback is the only one of the three subspecies of Gasterosteus aculeatus that is marine, scaleless, and fully plated. Fish in this species are anadramous, living in the ocean but entering brackish water or ascending freshwater streams to spawn. The male threespine stickleback not only builds the nest, he also guards it, takes care of the eggs, and protects the newly hatched larvae.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. Pacific Ocean populations range from Baja California, Mexico to Bering Sea to Japan and North Korea.
- Amazing Facts
Threespined sticklebacks have recently become a major research organism for evolutionary biologists trying to understand the genetic changes involved in adapting to new environments.
- At the Aquarium
The Aquarium habitat for threespine stickleback is in the Northern Pacific Gallery.