Stickleback
stickleback
About
Sticklebacks are small fish with sharp, separate spines instead of a normal dorsal fin. In this app the group is represented by the Three-spined Stickleback.
How to tell it apart
The row of sharp, separate spines along the back instead of one soft dorsal fin is the clearest mark of this group. Body shape can vary: deeper-bodied fish tend to live in shallow water, while slimmer ones live in open water.
Appearance
A stickleback is small, usually no more than about 4 inches (10 cm) long, with a slender body and no scales. Instead of a normal dorsal fin, it has several strong, separate spines along its back, and some species have bony plates along the sides.
Habitat
Sticklebacks live in cool, temperate waters and are found in the sea, in brackish water, and in fresh water such as lakes and streams.
Diet
Sticklebacks eat small animals such as insects, small crustaceans, and fish larvae.
Breeding
The male builds a nest from weeds and then guards the eggs a female lays inside it until they hatch, 7 to 14 days later. During courtship, freshwater males often turn red, and the male performs a zig-zag dance to attract a female.
Did you know?
A statue in the Russian city of Kronstadt honours the stickleback, which fed thousands of starving residents during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.