I'm In Love!

The drawing class went to our local Long Marine Lab this morning; today was free day and there were lots of little kids and moms and strollers. It's a small aquarium, but full of interesting creatures. This is the enchanting Rhamphocottus richardsonii, or Grunt Sculpin. I spent a lot of time kneeling by this tank, just watching this odd little thing as it swept the floor, back and forth, back and forth, snouting along. It's almost like two distinct animals--the bony head and nose, and the back end that looks more like a fish. It has a wistful but determined and earnest expression, kind of like the mole in Wind in the Willows. At various times it resembles a pig, a hedgehog, and a mouse. I never did see it actually swim--locomotion is via those fins on the bottom that push it along. It's hard to tell the scale from this photo; it's only about three inches long.


Speaking of earnestness, here's a tidbit from Wiki:
When ready to mate, a female grunt sculpin is a very determined fish. She aggressively chases males until she corners one in a cave, crevice, or, an empty barnacle shell. She lays up to 150 eggs while closely guarding her captive male until he fertilizes the eggs. Then she departs the nest, leaving the male behind as the primary nest guarder. 


The Extra is a page from my sketchbook. I've never even thought of drawing fish before. It was great fun!