The Spiny Lumpsucker - Eumicrotremis orbis

One of our favorite living organisms, the Spiny Lumpsucker, is a small fish, usually less than 10cm in length. A member of the Family Cyclopteridae - the lumpfishes and snailfishes, it lives in coastal areas of the North Pacific Ocean, from Washington State to North Japan.

E. orbis lives near the ocean floor, and it is commonly found in eelgrass beds, algae beds, and rocky areas. Like all members of this family, the spiny lumpsucker has pelvic fins modified to form a suction disc, with which it can temporarily attach to rocks or algae. This individual was found living among red algae, showing its ability to use camouflage coloration. Individuals from eelgrass are often green, those from rocky areas can be brown, and others from shell/sands are often mottled or even whitish.

Another fish with rather remarkable pelvic fin adaptations is the mud skipper. This species is one of the featured animals in our program, Branches on the Tree of Life: Chordates. The mud skipper's pelvic and pectoral fins are modified into leg-like appendages, which enables it to walk on land and in mangrove trees.