European Bullhead
Cottus gobio
About
The European bullhead is a small, bottom-dwelling fish with an oversized head, common in cold, clear streams. It usually reaches about 10 cm, with the largest recorded at 18 cm.
Also known as: bullhead, common bullhead, cottus gobio, freshwater sculpin, miller's thumb, sculpin
- Length
- 10 cm · max 18 cm
- Depth
- up to 2 m
- Temperature
- 1–16 °C
How to tell it apart
Confused with the alpine bullhead, another small sculpin sharing its streams. The European bullhead's pelvic fins are plain and colourless, while the alpine bullhead's carry distinct stripes.
Appearance
This fish has a large, broad head and a tapering body ending in a rounded tail, with eyes set near the top of the head. It is light brown with darker mottling, and its large fins are colourless. The dorsal and anal fins stop well short of the tail, leaving a short stretch of bare tail before the fin.
Habitat
European bullhead live on the bottom of cold, clear, fast-flowing streams and medium-sized rivers, and on gravel or rocky lake shores. They also turn up in the diluted brackish water of the northern Baltic Sea.
Is it dangerous?
harmless
Did you know?
When it rests on the stream bed, the bullhead spreads its large pectoral fins out flat to the sides, so they look like a pair of wings.
Log it in Into the Blue
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