2 photos - 1 species
Introduction
This fish is buried in the sea sand most of the time,
with its mouth on top so that no sand falls into its mouth when it breathes.
Its eyes are embedded high on its head
and it does not look directly upwards towards the sky, but sideways.
Uranoscopus sulphureus
Whitemargin stargazer
Maximum length: 25 cm
Depth: up to 500 metres
They are a family of fish from the group of perch relatives.
They have a bulky appearance, a slightly flattened body and a large,
broad and strongly ossified head.
The mouth is extremely superciliary and the lips are fringed.
Their name comes from the fact that they usually lurk buried
in sandy or muddy ground and only the small eyes on the top of the head are visible.
Behind the gill cover is a strong venomous sting.
The edge of the gill cover is long and notched,
thus enabling exhalation in the sediment.
The body is covered with very small scales or is scaleless.
Photo 1 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi
Photo 2 Astrid: Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi