Stargazer Fish

Stargazer fish is a bony fish that belongs to the family of Uranoscopidae. In all, there are almost 50 species of stargazers found in 8 different genera. They live in shallow waters of seas and oceans and are quite commonly found in Mediterranean sea and Atlantic Ocean. It can be described as a benthic species that prefers either to remain buried under the sand or mud or stay on the bottom of the sea or ocean bodies. When they bury themselves in the sand or mud, the eyes and the mouth are the only two parts of the fish that are visible. Thus it got its name as stargazer fish.

Classification

The scientific classification of the stargazer fish are as follows:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Actinopterygii
• Order: Perciformes
• Family: Uranoscopidae

Information

Stargazer fish has an elongated round shaped body with a dull brown color. The upper section of the body has a slightly darker shade of brown as compared to its under part. It has a large head which is slightly flattened on the sides and consist of rough, bony plates. On an average, the usual size of the fish varies from 18-25 cm. However, there are certain species of giant stargazer that can be as long as 90 cm.

The eyes of stargazer fish are very small in size and are mounted at the top of the body. It has a large mouth which is faced in the upward direction. At the tip of its lower jaw, there is a small projection that looks like a worm. Most species have both the dorsal fins and anal fins. However, in some of the species, the dorsal spines are missing. Stargazers are poisonous in nature. This is because of presence of two large poison spines that are located on each of its pectoral fins behind the gill cover. These spines can produce electricity and also deliver electric shocks.

The stargazer fish eat a variety of other fishes and invertebrates like crabs present in the marine water for its survival. They hide themselves under the sand and keep a watch on their prey. Their body color also helps them to camouflage with their surroundings. As soon as they find a prey nearby, they jump upwards to catch hold of it. Another technique is where they use the appendage attached to its lower lip. As it appears like a worm, they quiver it to attract the prey. Then the prey, assuming it as a worm, moves towards it. As it comes near the mouth, the fish create a vacuum inside the mouth and suck in the prey fish. Thus, the prey enters into the open mouth of the stargazer.

The breeding season for the stargazer fish is spring and summer. They lay their small transparent eggs on the bottom of the sea. Later, the eggs float to the surface of the water and hatch into larvae. They remain on top of the water, until it reaches the size of 12-15 millimeters in length. At this stage, they can swim to the bottom of the water, where they grow up into matured adult fish.

The physical features and the adaptability of the stargazer fish are exceptional indeed. It can cause harm to humans with their venomous spines which can discharge up to 50 volts of electricity. Divers are quite familiar with this species of marine fish. They are infamous for their attacks on the divers particularly, night divers. If you are handling live specimens of these fish, you should do so with great care. Usually if humans approach them they do not cause any harm, unless and until they are disturbed.