Sculpin Sunday - Tadpole Sculpin

Welcome back to my on going series on sculpins. Today we have one of the smallest members of the sculpin family that lives in the Pacific Northwest the Tadpole Sculpin, Psychrolutes paradoxus.

Little is known about the life span, mating or total distribution of these tiny fish. Growing only to a few centimetres in length finding Tadpoles can be quite a challenge.

Most scientific information about Tadpole's state that they live in shallow waters and on soft sandy or pebbly bottoms but have also been found at the mouths of river during their juvenile stage.

Their colouration is highly varied from yellows and greys to browns and blues, their distinguishing characteristics are their flat tadpole like heads and the bright orange on the underside of their fins.

Finding and photographing these little colourful fish poses all kinds of challenges due to them living in shallow waters its is difficult to be stable in the water due to tidal movement additionally these fish blend in very well with their surroundings. Take your time, find the get conditions and be safe.

Thanks for reading and have a great Sunday.

Scott

For more images and stories - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/