looduskalender.ee

Portrait

 

 

Preparations for spawning started in the Christmas month: the male who had chosen a spawning territory then  started to fend off rivals from there, or was it only „foreplay“?  Fourhorn sculpins with loose roe have already shown up in fishermen’s tackle. Sculpins prefer sandy bottoms for spawning, to a depth of ten metres. The spawning nest is about a quarter of a metre across; the female delivers her eggs there. The five to eight thousand roe grains are fertilized by the male. With this the role of the female fish is fulfilled.

 

The male remains to guard the nest for at least a couple of months on his own. The roe grains need to be moved, aired and of course protected against unbidden visitors until hatching. The sculpin that stands guard on the sea bottom will not retreat even for the robber cod, even less for smaller munchers. Because the fourhorn sculpin lacks a bladder its place is at the bottom, skulking; it goes swimming using the large pectoral fins and the tail.

 

The roe of the fourhorn sculpin has an unexpected bluish-green colour, but it is a delicacy similar  to the roe of other, familiar fish. If you should come across it, be sure to try it.

 

Fourhorn sculpin