Sculpin

Sculpin are small fishes from the family Cottidae (order Scorpaeniformes) also know as bullhead or sea scorpion. They are found in the northern regions of the world in both, fresh and salt water, spending most of their time as a bottom-dwelling, inactive fish. The morphology of the sculpins is elongated and are very characteristic for their cover with spines, with the pectoral fins being large ans fanlike, and with a skin that is either naked or with small spines. Due to this characteristics, sculpins have a very little economical value for humans and are rarely used for fish bait in lobster pots. One of the most interesting characteristics of these animals is that they are usually exposed to daily oxygen fluctuations, suffering from short periods of hypoxia. As an animal of the artic regions, the acidification of the oceans present an special challenge to this animals due to the detrimental effect that the pH have on the metabolism and, as a consequence, in the hypoxia tolerance [Hancock and Place, Impact of ocean acidification on the hypoxia tolerance of the woolly sculpin, Clinocottus analis, 2016].

The sculpins were the main object of study during the research project developed during the White Sea Comparative Physiology Summer School 2018 Kandalaksha Bay RU