The dogfish is a deadly predator. Blenny for controlling algae growth in an aquarium

Looking at this, albeit small, but terrifying-looking sea ​​predator, the words from a well-known song sing themselves: “A dog can bite, only from the life of a dog...”. And you can see for yourself that dogs are not only biting, but also sea-breeding, by reading this article. Let's get acquainted with an interesting "character" underwater world, which has a very unusual name- “sea pike dog”.

This fish (Neoclinus blanchardi), with a very colorful “appearance”, is from the Chaenopsiaceae family and belongs to the order Perciformes. Her main hallmark The oral cavity is disproportionately large in relation to both the head and its entire body.

The pike blenny and its habitat

This “dog” can be found in the waters Pacific Ocean, washing North America from the coast of San Francisco to Baja California (Mexico). Favorite places habitats are the bottom marine layers of the subtropical region. These perciformes have chosen depths from 3 to 73 meters. They are also found on muddy bottoms or sand located below the low tide zone, in areas of open coastline.

Pike dogs occupy abandoned holes, cracks and crevices in underwater rocks. Often, as their shelter, they use empty shells of various mollusks, and even empty, various containers used by humans. It is noteworthy that almost every beer bottle that is thrown into Santa Monica Bay by beer drinkers becomes a safe home for these fish.

It is worth noting that pike blenny, regardless of the type of their shelter, fiercely defend their “home” from encroachers. And the larger the size of the shelter, the larger its “households.”

"External data"

The pike dog is the largest representative of all fringeheads, as it can grow up to 30 centimeters in length. It has a long, compressed and thin body. Another distinctive feature of this species is the long dorsal fin, as well as the wavy “bangs” on the head.

But what is especially impressive is the enormous size of the mouth opening formed by the upper, characteristically long jaw. Its endings reach the very edges of the gill covers. A large number of needle-like teeth dot the jaws. Males are different from females large sizes mouth

The long dorsal fin starts from the back of the head and tapers to a rounded caudal fin. The anal fin extends from the excretory opening and ends at the very base of the caudal fin.

The large head, giving a comical “dog” appearance, is decorated with strongly protruding lips.

The color is usually grayish or brown with mottled areas of greenish or red. Sometimes you can find male individuals with black coloring and giant jaws, the back of which is painted in a bright yellow hue.

The sea pike blenny received from nature a very “extraordinary appearance” and a fighting character. Its pugnacious nature is very well known to scuba divers. But we will talk about her behavior, as well as food preferences and reproduction in the second part of this article^

Strange sea creatures: the pike blenny. Part II

The dogfish, the photo of which is in front of you, is an amazing and deadly creation of nature. Other names for this creature are also known: pufferfish, rocktooth, pufferfish, fourtooth.

But the name "death fish", given to him by the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands, suits him best. The dog fish, the description of which you can read in this article, is considered the most dangerous to humans among all poisonous creatures. Her body contains a huge amount of highly toxic poison that kills in a matter of seconds.

Sea dog fish: photo, description

Skalozub belongs to the family of puffer fish; it is impossible to confuse it with anyone, since it is simply unique and does not resemble anyone else. The dog fish (photo confirms this) has a short body covered with spines. The back is quite wide, and the head is thick, with a mouth that looks more like a beak. With this “beak” the puffer bites and chews coral branches. Due to the special structure of the teeth, the fish received the name skalozub. The teeth are extremely strong, fused together, and look like four plates. How strong they are can be judged by the ease with which the pufferfish splits mollusk shells and crab shells, thus obtaining its favorite delicacy. There is a known terrible case when live fish, already on the table in front of the cook, bit off his finger.

The dogfish uses its tail as a rudder. The dorsal, pectoral and anal fins give forward motion to the entire body. Distinctive feature predators - a large bag-like outgrowth. In a moment of danger, Skalozub very quickly pumps water into it and swells, taking on the shape of a ball. Thanks to this, the fish often manages to avoid the fate of being eaten by another predator, because not every sea dweller can push such a voluminous ball into its mouth. Because of this feature, fugu received another name - inflatable fish.

Poisonous color sea ​​creatures depends on the species to which they belong. Dogfish can range from light sandy to dark gray with spots located throughout the body. There are also leopard-print or lilac-colored individuals with bright yellow stripes.

Types of dog fish

The dog fish, the description of which you just read, has many varieties, differing mainly in their color and habitats in wildlife. We present to your attention the most common types of rocktooths.

Black speckled - lives in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific region from Polynesia to East Africa.
. White speckled - found in Indonesian waters and tropical zone Pacific Ocean.
. Ringed - lives in the tropical coastal waters of Central and South America.
. Maki-maki - lives in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans.

Fish-dog: lifestyle

To this day, fugu remains poorly understood. Researchers of marine life have been able to find out very little about the lifestyle of rocktooths. It is known what these terrible poisonous predators like to snack on. Their diet includes sea ​​urchins, shellfish, crabs, sea ​​stars, corals. Pufferfish cannot develop high speed in water, but they are able to deftly maneuver, moving both head first and tail, and they also manage to quickly move sideways if necessary.

Another one amazing feature this fish lies in its excellent sense of smell; very few aquatic inhabitants can boast of the same. Skalozub has small tentacles with nostrils under its eyes. Thanks to this gift of nature, it distinguishes odors in water, like an ordinary sniffer dog, hence the name fish-dog.

Reproduction of rocktooths

When the time of mating comes for the rock-toothed fish, the males begin to flirt with the females, circling around them and inviting them to sink to the very bottom. Such efforts and water dances of the suitor are not in vain: the female, ready to reproduce, accepts the invitation and sinks to the bottom. For some time the pair circles in one place near the stones, after which the female, having chosen a stone she likes, lays eggs on it. After this, it is the male’s turn.

The future parent fertilizes the eggs, covers the entire clutch with its body and guards it for several days, waiting for the tadpole-like fry to appear. When they finally appear, the rocktooth carries them into a hole made in the ground and again stands guard over their peace. The responsibilities of a caring father end only when the kids begin to eat on their own.

Deadly poison of the rocktooth

One dogfish contains only a few tens of milligrams toxic substance, which is tetrodotoxin. The poison is so strong that this amount is enough to kill about 30 people. What is also terrifying is that even modern advanced science has not yet managed to create an antidote against it. It is curious that the poison does not affect the rocktooth itself. The solution to this also remains a mystery to scientific minds around the world.

When in danger, the poisonous predator pricks itself with its spines, injecting poison into the body of the enemy, which is 150,000 times stronger than curare and 1,200 times more effective than potassium cyanide.

Fish meat is considered worse than thorns. All parts of her body are highly poisonous. Despite this, in Japan the rock tooth is considered a sophisticated delicacy. Dishes that specially trained chefs prepare from it are called common name- “fugu”. Be that as it may, eating poisonous fish is very dangerous and risky, because, despite precautions, in Japan, about a hundred people die every year from fugu dishes.

Katran is a demersal fish found in temperate waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of the South Atlantic Ocean. The shark always lives in water whose temperature does not exceed 15 degrees, so you can usually meet it near the shore and at the surface only in spring or autumn. In summer, as the temperature rises, the katran moves to depths of 40 - 200 m. Because of the heat, other fish, such as horse mackerel and anchovy, which form the main diet of the sea dog, also descend here.

The katran emerged as an excellent swimmer. Her body is ideally suited for swimming. It has an elongated long shape and well-developed fins. The shark's muzzle is pointed, and its pectoral and dorsal fins have a sickle-shaped structure. All this allows the sea dog to easily “cut” the water, significantly accelerating, and maintain high speed. The spines on its back have developed into hard spines. While swimming, the katran can easily cut a fishing net - its fins are so sharp. Not only divers underwater, but also fishermen who catch a spiny shark need to be afraid of cutting themselves. The thorns also release a mild poison, which makes the cut painful. In nature, the katran uses its spines only for self-defense.

The fins of a sea dog have become for humans the personification of a sharp object. Manufacturers hunting knives They even produce a whole line of their products under the brand name “ Katran”, positioning the knives as extremely sharp and reliable.

The shark's body smoothly transitions from dark gray on the back to pale on the belly. Some have white spots on the sides. The shark's mouth is low, the corners of the mouth are curved upward, giving the muzzle a “smiling” shape. Jaws are strewn big amount teeth set in several rows. They are designed to bite and tear apart the bodies of their prey. Crustaceans occupy a significant portion of the diet, so the teeth are sharp and very strong, cracking hard shells without any problems.

A characteristic feature of the katran is that it reaches sexual maturity at an already advanced age. Males are ready to continue their race only after 11 years of life, and females even later - by 13-17 years. Only those who are lucky enough not to be caught by the person who catches the katrans for sale to fish stores survive to this point. Particularly popular spiny sharks in Europe. In Germany they are sold under the name " sea ​​eel " Uncontrolled fishing has put sharks at risk of extinction. Currently, catching dogfish in the Northeast Atlantic is completely prohibited.

The bottom of the Black Sea is a storehouse of oil. Due to deep deposits, the waters are saturated with hydrogen sulfide. There is especially a lot of it below 150 meters. There are almost no inhabitants beyond this mark.

Accordingly, most fish in the Black Sea live in the water column or near the surface. There are a minimum of benthic species. As a rule, they burrow into the sands of the coastal bottom.

Sea crucian carp

Crucians live not only in freshwater bodies. In the Black Sea, representatives of the Sparidae family are “capturing” more and more territories. Previously, crucian carp were found mainly along the coast from Adler to Anapa. There are fewer fish off the coast of the latter. The sea in Adler is warmer.

average temperature water there is 3-4 degrees. However last years crucian carp are also caught outside the water area. There are 13 species. Seven of them are passing, sailing through the Bosphorus. Rest types of fish in the Black Sea sedentary.

You can often hear from fishermen the second name for sea crucian carp - laskir

The second name for sea crucian is laskir. The fish resembles its freshwater counterparts. The oval and laterally compressed body of the animal is covered with scales. There are even plates on the cheeks and gills of the fish. She has a miniature mouth. Sea crucian carp rarely exceed 33 centimeters in length. In the Black Sea, individuals of 11-15 centimeters are usually found.

The easiest way to distinguish sea crucian species is by color. The silver catfish clearly has alternating dark and light stripes. There are 11 or 13 of them.

In the photo, sea crucian carp

The white sarg has transverse stripes, there are 9 of them. The bobs have 3-4 lines on the body and they are golden.

Sarga is another variety of sea crucian

Mackerel

Belongs to the mackerel family, the order of perciformes. Fishing in the Black Sea It's getting more and more difficult. Due to the unintentional introduction of Mnemiopsis into the reservoir, food species are disappearing. Externally similar to a jellyfish, the ctenophore feeds on plankton.

Crustaceans are traditionally the food of anchovy and sprat. These planktivorous fish, in turn, are the basis of the mackerel’s diet. It turns out that because of the alien ctenophore, the main commercial fish in the reservoir are dying of hunger.

Mackerel is famous taste qualities. Fish has fatty meat, saturated with Omega-3 and Omega-6 acids. Along with the benefits, the Black Sea catch can also cause harm. Mackerel accumulates mercury in its body.

However, this is typical for the majority sea ​​fish. Therefore, nutritionists advise alternating marine species with freshwater ones in your diet. The latter contain a minimum of mercury.

Katran

A small shark from 1 to 2 meters long and weighing from 8 to 25 kilograms. Spikes covered with mucus grow near the two dorsal fins of the katran. Their shell is poisonous, like some stingray spines. From poison the last one died Steve Irwin. The famous crocodile hunter hosted a series of television programs.

The venom of the katran is not as dangerous as that of some stingrays. An injection from a shark's needle leads to painful swelling of the affected area, but does not pose a mortal threat.

The color is dark gray with a light belly. There are single white spots on the sides of the fish. Its population is also under threat. Like mackerel, katran feeds on the planktivorous anchovy, which is becoming extinct due to the dominance of the sea by Mnemiopsis.

True, horse mackerel still remains on the shark’s menu, which is why the shark population “keeps afloat.” By the way, fish swim in the depths. You can see katran off the coast only in the off-season.

Katran is the only fish from the shark family in the Black Sea

Stingrays

Stingrays are elasmobranchs cartilaginous fish. There are 2 types of them in the Black Sea. The most common one is called the sea fox. This fish has a spiky body and tail and tasteless meat. But they value the liver sea ​​fox. Wound healing agents are made from it.

The main population of foxes is found near Anapa. You can also find stingrays there. Alternative name – catfish. This is another species of the Black Sea. Unlike the gray-brown fox, it is light, almost white.

There are no spines on the body of the fish, but the needle on the tail grows up to 35 centimeters. The mucus on the protrusion is poisonous, but not lethal, as is the case with the outgrowths on the body of the katran.

The sea cat is an ovoviviparous species. Poisonous fish Black Sea They do not lay eggs, but carry them in their womb. There, baby stingrays hatch from the capsules. This is a signal for the start of contractions and the birth of animals.

Sea cat or sea fox

Herring

The fish is distinguished by a slightly laterally compressed elongated body with a pectoral protrusion-keel. The back of the animal is blue-green, and the belly is gray-silver. The length of the fish reaches 52 centimeters, but most adults do not exceed 33 centimeters.

The largest herring are found in the Kerch Bay of the Black Sea. They fish there from March to May. Then it goes into the Sea of ​​Azov.

Sprat

A miniature relative of the herring. The second name is sprat. There is confusion in the minds of ordinary people caused by the divergence of opinions between ichthyologists and fish farmers. For the latter, sprat is any small herring specimen.

It could be a herring itself, but a young one. For ichthyologists, sprat is a fish of the sprattus species. Its representatives do not grow more than 17 centimeters and live a maximum of 6 years. Usually this is 4 years versus 10, allotted for the age of herring.

Sprat lives at depths of up to 200 meters. In the Black Sea, due to the saturation of the waters with hydrogen sulfide, fish are limited to 150 meters.

Sprat fish

Mullet

Belongs to the mullet. There are 3 indigenous subspecies in the Black Sea: sharpnose, singil and mullet. The first is distinguished by a narrow nose covered with scales. It is missing only up to the area of ​​the anterior nostrils. In the Singil, the plates start from the rear, and have one tubule on the back. The sharpnose has two channels on its dorsal scales.

The mullet is the most common and famous representative of the mullet in the Black Sea. The fish has a convex head at the front. Hence the name of the species. Among mullets, its representatives are the largest, grow quickly, and therefore are important commercially.

By the age of 6, the mullet stretches 56-60 centimeters, weighing about 2.5 kilograms. Sometimes fish are caught that are 90 centimeters long and weigh over 3 kilos.

Gurnard

His name is the answer to the question, what kind of fish is in the Black Sea quirky. Externally, the animal resembles a bird or butterfly. The rooster's front fins are large and colorful, like those of a peacock or a butterfly. The head of the fish is large, and the tail is narrow with a miniature forked fin. Curving, the rooster resembles a shrimp.

The red color of the fish plays in favor of the association. However, scarlet-brick is also associated with the crest of a real rooster.

In body sea ​​cock there is a minimum of bones, and the meat resembles sturgeon in color and taste. Therefore, fish has become not only an object of admiration, but also of fishing. As a rule, the rooster falls for the bait aimed at horse mackerel and swims at the same depths.

Astrologer

Belongs to the order Perciformes, lives near the bottom, is inactive. Hidden, the astrologer does not count the stars, but waits for crustaceans and small fish. This is the prey of a predator.

It is lured by an animal like a worm. This is the appendage that the stargazer protrudes from its mouth. This mouth is on a massive and rounded head. The fish tapers towards the tail.

The stargazer can reach 45 centimeters in length and weighs 300-400 grams. In moments of danger, the animal buries itself in the bottom sand. It also serves as camouflage when hunting. To prevent grains of sand from getting into his mouth, he moved almost to the astrologer’s eyes.

Pipefish

It looks like a straightened seahorse and also belongs to the order Acineformes. The shape of the fish is similar to a pencil with 6 edges. The thickness of the animal is also comparable to the diameter of the writing instrument.

Needles – Black Sea fish, as if sucking small prey into their elongated mouth. It has no teeth, since there is no need to grab and chew the catch. The needlefish mainly feeds on plankton. Here again the question arises about the eating of crustaceans by Mnemiopsis. The needle cannot compete with fish for food.

Sea bass

Belongs to the scorpionfish family. The same family includes the sea ruffe. On the spines of its fins, the perch, like the katran or the sea cat, carries poison. It is produced by special glands. The poison is strong, but not fatal, and usually causes inflammation and swelling of damaged tissue.

Among photo of Black Sea fish perch can appear in different types. There are 110 of them in the world. White and stone are similar in appearance to freshwater perch. So the fish were named the same, even though they are not related. Black Sea perch is an exception. The fish is related to freshwater species. The second name of the Black Sea perch is smarida.

The length of the smarida does not exceed 20 centimeters. The minimum for an adult is 10 centimeters. The animal has a mixed diet, consuming both algae and crustaceans and worms. The color of fish largely depends on food.

Black Sea perches, like river perches, have vertical stripes on their bodies. After being caught they disappear. In ordinary perches, the stripes remain in the air.

Sea bass fins are very sharp with poison at the end

Dogfish

Miniature bottom fish up to 5 centimeters in length. The animal has a large front body and head. Towards the tail the dog gradually tapers, like an eel. There is a continuous fin-ridge along the back. But the main difference between the fish and others is the branched outgrowths above the eyes.

The color of the sea dog is reddish-brown. Fishes living in the Black Sea, stay both in shallow water and at depths of up to 20 meters. Dogs stay in packs, hiding between stones and ledges of underwater rocks.

red mullet

A red-and-white fish weighing about 150 grams and up to 30 centimeters long. The animal lives in shallow water with a sandy bottom. Otherwise, the fish is called an ordinary sultana. The name is associated with the regal appearance of the red mullet. Its color is like the robe of an eastern ruler.

Belonging to the mullet, the red mullet has the same laterally compressed elongated body of an oblong oval shape. In agony, the sultana becomes covered with purple spots. The ancient Romans noticed this when they began cooking red mullet in front of those eating.

Those at the table enjoyed not only eating the delicious fish meat, but also admiring its coloring.

Flounder

Commercial fish of the Black Sea, prefers 100-meter depths. The peculiar appearance of the animal is known to everyone. Disguising itself at the bottom, it produces all kinds of light pigments on the upper side of its body. The underside of the fish does not have this ability.

The Black Sea flounder prefers to lie on its left side. Right-handed individuals are exceptions to the rule, like left-handed people.

People, by the way, love flounder for its dietary meat with 100% digestible protein, vitamin B-12, A and D, Omega-3 acids, and phosphorus salts. The flat creature also contains aphrodisiacs that stimulate desire. Only a few fish have similar properties.

Sea ruff

Otherwise called scorpionfish. To freshwater maritime relations does not have. The popular name is given to the animal for external resemblance with river ruffs. The Black Sea fish is also covered with spiny fins. The structure of their needles is similar to the structure of the teeth of snakes. Each needle has two grooves for the delivery of venom. Therefore, catching sea ​​ruffe risky.

Greenfinch

There are 8 species of greenfinches in the Black Sea. All fish are small and brightly colored. One species is called a wrasse. This fish is edible. The rest are used only as bait for large predators. Greenfinches are bony. Animal meat smells muddy and watery.

The wrasse is depicted on many amphoras that have survived from the time Ancient Rome. There, delicious greenfinch was served at dinner parties along with red mullet.

Despite their bright, festive colors, greenfinches with grass-colored faces are aggressive. Animals bare their sharp teeth, rushing at offenders, like chained dogs. In a fight, greenfinches, mostly males, shoot streams of water, wave their fins, bang their foreheads, tails and emit a special battle cry, which is not typical for fish.

Black Sea gobies

There are about 10 species of gobies in the Black Sea, the main one is called the round goby. Contrary to its name, the fish is quite elongated, laterally compressed. The color of the round timber is brown with a brown spot. The animal reaches 20 centimeters in length and weighs approximately 180 grams.

Round wood chooses depths of up to 5 meters. The sandpiper goby also lives here. It can also live in rivers. In the Black Sea, fish stay off the coast with inflowing rivers. Here the water is only slightly salty. The sandpiper is named for its beige color and its habit of burrowing into the sandy bottom.

The goby wrasse, unlike the sandpiper, is found on the bottom with pebbles. The fish has a voice flattened on top and swollen upper lip. The jaw protrudes from below. The wrasse also stands out for its evenly developed dorsal fin.

There is also a grass goby in the Black Sea. He has a laterally compressed head and an elongated body. The large rear fin of the animal is elongated towards the tail. The fish is generously lubricated with mucus, but the secretion is not poisonous. Even children catch bulls with their bare hands. Teenagers like to look out for camouflaged fish in shallow water, sneak up and cover them with their palms.

Pictured is a Black Sea goby

Swordfish

In the Black Sea it is found as an exception, swimming from other waters. The powerful bony nose of the fish looks more like a saber. But the animal does not pierce the victims with its weapon, but rather hits it backhand.

The noses of swordfish have been found embedded in ships made of oak logs. The needles of the inhabitants of the depths entered the tree as if into butter. There are examples of a 60-centimeter penetration of the bow of a swordfish into the bottom of a sailboat.

Sturgeon

Representatives have cartilage instead of a skeleton and are deprived. This is what the fish of ancient times looked like, since sturgeon are relict animals. In the Black Sea, representatives of the family are a temporary phenomenon. Passing through salty waters, sturgeons go to spawn in rivers.

The Black Sea sturgeon is called Russian. Individuals weighing about 100 kilograms were caught. However, most fish in the Black Sea basin do not exceed a mass of 20 kilograms.

Pelamida

Belongs to the mackerel family, grows up to 85 centimeters, gaining up to 7 kilograms of weight. Standard fish are 50 centimeters long and weigh no more than 4 kilos.

It comes to the Black Sea from the Atlantic to spawn. Warm waters reservoirs are ideal for laying eggs and raising offspring.

Like mackerel, bonito has fatty and tasty meat. The fish is considered commercial. They catch bonito near the surface. This is where representatives of the species feed. The bonito does not like to go to the depths.

Sea Dragon

Outwardly similar to gobies, but poisonous. The danger comes from the spikes on the head and its sides. The top ones resemble a crown. Like tyrant rulers, the dragon stings those it dislikes. A run-in with a fish can lead to paralysis of a limb. At the same time, the person languishes in pain.

Fishermen usually suffer from dragon stings. A poisonous sea creature ends up in a net, and the animals need to be rescued from there. It is not always possible to do this carefully.

In total, 160 species of fish live in the Black Sea or swim through its waters. About 15 of them are of commercial importance. Over the past 40 years, many fish that previously preferred to stay near the coast have moved into the depths.

Biologists see the reason in the pollution of shallow waters with runoff and fertilizers from fields. In addition, the coastal waters are actively plied by pleasure boats and fishing boats.