That’s right, it’s mating season for buffalos . . . buffalo SCULPINS that is!
Male buffalo sculpin guarding eggs. April 1, 2012. Photo: Hildering
Now that I’ve lured you to this posting with the procreation of a huge, shaggy terrestrial mammal on your mind . . . let me show you the spawn of this wondrous fish.
The buffalo sculpin – Enophrys bison – has earned the association with buffalo/bison due to the horn-like spine found on each gill plate (operculum). The species can be up to 37 cm long.
As is the case for many species in the sculpin family, male buffalo sculpins guard the eggs from predators and fan them with their pectoral fins. Sometimes they guard the eggs laid by multiple females. When you consider that a female can lay between 19,000 and 32,000 eggs, the males have a lot of fertilizing and guarding work to do! Their guard duty lasts 5 to 6 weeks until the eggs hatch.
A cascade of eggs below this brilliantly coloured male buffalo sculpin’s chin, April 1st. Still guarding the eggs on April 21st, see image below. Photo: Hildering
The photos in this blog – all taken on April 1st, 2012 – show you the males with their flat heads directly upon a cascade of eggs. The clusters of eggs allowed me to find this incredibly camouflaged fish much more easily than I normally could. When I saw a golden, orange or greenish shiny mass of eggs, I knew a male buffalo sculpin had to be very near by. The bright colour of the eggs suggests that they might be toxic to many species, further protecting them from predation.
As you can see, the buffalo sculpins’ red, brown and pink colouration makes them very difficult to discern from the similarly brilliantly coloured life around them. They will remain absolutely still so as not to give away their presence. Their relative, the red Irish lord, has the same survival strategy. (See this previous blog item for photos and information on the red Irish lord.)
The camouflage, in addition to reducing the risk of predation by bigger fish and harbour seals, allows the buffalo sculpin to be a very successful ambush hunter of shrimps, crabs, amphipods and small fish. It has been suggested that they eat mainly algae since this has so often been found in their gut but I am willing to bet that the algae ends up in their stomachs as a result of the buffalo sculpins grabbing prey ON the algae!
Another male guarding eggs. If you look carefully, you will see the horn-like spines on the fish’s right gill plate. It is these horn-shaped gill protrusions that led to this species getting both its scientific and common name. April 1, 2012. Photo: Hildering
April 1, 2012. Photo: Hildering
The two differently coloured egg masses suggest that this male is guarding the eggs from two different females. April 1, 2012. Photo: Hildering
April 1, 2012. Same male as above photo. Photo: Hildering
Same male guarding eggs 3 weeks later. April 21st. Photo: Hildering
Same male with a new egg mass – May 6. Checked in on him on May 20th and he was no longer guarding eggs. Photo: Hildering
Range: Monterey California to Kodiak Island, Gulf of Alaska. Most often found to a depth of 20 m but have been found to 227 m.
Spawn: February and March.
Source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife – Biological Synopses of Nearshore Fishes
