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Pacific spiny lumpsuckers possess small fins which they must beat rapidly to move around.(Image credit: Mitchell Cox / Alamy Stock Photo)ShareShare by:
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Name: Pacific spiny lumpsucker (Eumicrotremus orbis)
Habitat: Northern Pacific, stretching from Washington to Japan and northward into the Bering Sea
Diet: Minute fish, jellyfish, ctenophores, crustaceans, polychaetes
The diminutive, chubby physiques and charming looks of Pacific spiny lumpsuckers make them essentially nature’s version of kawaii. They are clumsy swimmers, so to prevent being carried off by currents in their coastal environments, their pelvic fin has transformed to function as a suction pad, allowing them to secure themselves to a steady surface.
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The adhesive disc of Pacific spiny lumpsuckers is comprised of enamel — precisely the same substance constituting the rigid outer layer of human dentition.
These sucker discs are somewhat unnerving to observe from underneath – akin to a lamprey equipped with a ring of human teeth. This resemblance arises from the shared composition of enamel, mirroring that of our own teeth. Additionally, the disc emits a verdant and yellowish luminescence — albeit the motives for such illumination are presently unknown.
Generally, males exhibit a red hue (referred to as “concerned strawberries”) and radiate a red glow when exposed to ultraviolet light, whereas females typically range from green to brown and do not emit light under UV rays.
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When procreation beckons, the males alone establish residency. They designate a locale, typically a modest dip in more tepid waters where females deposit their ova. The male impregnates the eggs, whereupon the female departs, and he attends to and safeguards the ensuing generation from predators. Juvenile lumpsuckers lack a defense mechanism possessed by the adults — arrays of enamel protrusions termed odontodes enveloping their bodies, inclusive of the tooth-like circle on their ventral surfaces.
In time, they will develop odontodes in spiral arrangements encompassing their entire physique to shield them from predators and impacts with coarse exteriors.
TOPICSamazing animals
Liz Langley
Liz Langley is a freelance author who has addressed subjects ranging from popular culture to tourism to animal biology and conduct. She’s a consistent ally to National Geographic, and her endeavors have manifested in The Washington Post, Mental Floss, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, among other publications. Her prize-winning compilation “Crazy Little Thing: Why Love and Sex Drive Us Mad” recounts tales of offbeat behavior in romance and the
brain science behind why it renders us irrational. Her budding webcast, Oddberries, encompasses the peculiar occurrences that transpire within this realm we presume familiarity with.
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