Name
- Common name: Slimy Sculpin
- Scientific name: Cottus cognatus
- Order: Scorpaeniformes
- Family: Cottidae
- Indigenous names for this species may be available through the Yukon Native Language Centre.
Viewing opportunities
- Look for sculpins hopping along the bottom close to shore.
Description
- Broad, bony head with bulging eyes on top
- Body tapers, compressed laterally toward the tail
- Pelvic fins forward near pectoral fins, fanned
- 2 dorsal fins: the front is short and spiny, and back is longer and soft rayed
Fast facts
- Length: 5 to 10 centimetres
- Weight: 10 to 30 grams
- Lifespan: Unknown
- Predators: Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Burbot
- Habitat: Freshwater
Conservation status
- Yukon: S5 (Secure)
- Global: G5 (Secure)
Yukon population estimate
Not determined.
Behaviour
These small fish live on rock or cobble-bottomed streams or lakes. Sometimes they’ll even inhabit brackish waters. They spawn in spring in shallow water under rocks or woody debris. Sculpin are awkward swimmers because they do not have a swim bladder, which would provide buoyancy. They often seem to be hopping over the bottom rather than swimming. A sculpin will only ever travel a short distance in its lifetime.
Diet
Aquatic insects, crustaceans, fish eggs and small fish
Distribution
Sculpins and people
- Slimy Sculpin are a common food item for larger fish species; flyfishers are known to use weighted streamer flies that resemble sculpins to catch predatory fish that feed on them.