This long, eel-like fish is named for the fleshy crest, or cockscomb, on top of its head. Males have a larger, more prominent cockscomb than females. Males are aggressive towards other males during breeding season, biting, displaying at, and chasing one another around a female. While competing, the males’ fins will turn a deep red or orange color and the spot on the forward end of their dorsal fin will become outlined in gold.

It typically measures 6-8 inches in length, but in 2022, an exceptional specimen was captured and released by a young boy at Fords Cove on Hornby Island, British Columbia that was filmed and officially measured at over 10 inches length, establishing a new maximum recorded size.

The High Cockscomb lives in many areas along the Pacific Coast ranging from Alaska to California. It inhabits coastal areas, no deeper than 100 feet below the surface. It lives near the ocean floor and in the intertidal zone, tending to live in areas with gravel or crushed shell.

This fish’s diet consists of worms, crabs, amphipods, isopods, copepods, snails, clam siphons, insects, and algae. This species can breathe air, allowing it to survive for 15–25 hours out of the water if kept moist.

The High Cockscomb is sexually dimorphic. Females have more subdued colors, but show more green or brown patterns. Females have a yellow speckled cockscomb and lower surface of the head. In males these areas are pale and lack speckles. During breeding season males develop bright orange and reddish coloration on the fins.

A female of this species cares for her eggs by coiling around the egg mass with her body. She uses the back portion of her body and caudal fin to fan the egg mass. She continues guarding and caring for these eggs until they hatch, which takes an average of 29 days.

Although small, this was a super cool fish to encounter while tidepooling.

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I’ve caught a few examples of this cool fish when tidepooling in the San Francisco Area.  It gets the common name “woolly” from the abundant hairlike filaments present on its head and alongside its dorsal fin. This common tidepool creature has a lifespan of 6 to 8 years.

The Woolly Sculpin has an elongated, tapering body with a large, depressed, flattened, and wide head. They are speckled and mottled and come in a wide variety of colors, including green, greenish-black, and brown; some also have reddish tinges.

This is a demersal (lives and feeds on or near the bottom of seas or lakes) species that is found within sand, gravel, small rocks, and bedrock and in intertidal areas among algae beds at depths up to 60 feet. They are ambush predators that lie in wait for prey and are active 24 hours a day.

This fish’s diet includes mainly crustaceans (especially amphipods), as well as fish eggs and larvae, polychaetes, and mollusks. Most of its food items are light-colored or clear, suggesting that these are easiest for the fish to see against the dark background of its habitat.

The Woolly Sculpin can change its colors to match its background. It can also breathe air through its skin, allowing it to survive out of the water for up to 24 hours. Its most significant predators are Great Blue Herons and other shore birds, as well as larger fish and crabs.

It was fun encountering this neat fish and seeing the range of its many colors and patterns.

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I caught this super cool creature while tidepooling on the California Coast. The Black Prickleback has an elongated eel-like body and is dark reddish brown to black in color with a pale head.

The head is small with two distinctive dark bands radiating from each eye. It has a long dorsal fin that runs into its tail fin giving the illusion of having a full-body fin. It grows to about a foot in length.

This fish prefers to live in rocky terrain with algae cover. It can be found under rocks and gravel; smaller examples are commonly found in tidepools. They are capable of breathing air and can be out of water for up to a day. When not submerged under water, they keep moist by burrowing under seaweed and wet rocks.

The Black Prickleback is found mostly on coastlines from the Gulf of Alaska to southern California, where it consumes green and red algae, crustaceans, polychaetes, snails and surfgrass.

Spawning takes places from February to April off the west coast of the United States and from April to mid-May off the coast of British Columbia. Females lay 700 to 4000 eggs under rocks or other protected areas. The eggs are deposited one by one and fertilized by the male. They are then shaped into spherical clusters by the mother and father. The father then guards the eggs until they hatch.

Pricklebacks belong a family of elongate fishes found in the cool northern oceans, with most species in the northern Pacific. In most species, all the dorsal rays are strong, sharp spines – which is the source of the common name “Prickleback.”

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While tidepooling on the California coast, we caught this cool fish that I had never seen before. It is the only known member of its genus. The name “Cabezon” comes from Spanish meaning “large head,” which is a main identifying feature for this species.

This is a scaleless fish with a broad bony support extending from the eye across the cheek just under the skin. It can grow up to 3 feet in length and weigh over 24 pounds, but on average they weigh 4 pounds and are less than two feet long.

This species ranges in color, with varying shades of brown, red, or green, with lots of darker mottling to help with camouflage. Females are usually greenish while males are more reddish.

Cabezon are found in the northeast Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California. They feed on crustaceans, mollusks, fish and fish eggs – though they are indiscriminate and eat whatever will fit in their mouths. They are ambush predators that patiently wait for passing by prey, then lunge to engulf their prey with their large mouth.

Adults spawn on rocky outcrops in shallow water and males guard the eggs until they hatch. After hatching, the offspring settle at intertidal pools then move to reefs and kelp forests. Cabezons tend to live near coastlines with rocky, sandy, and muddy, hard bottoms.

Cabezon is prized as a recreational game fish.

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While tidepooling in Central California, we found a few examples of this cool fish.

The Fluffy Sculpin (also known as the Lizard Fish) inhabits the coastal northwestern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Kodiak, Alaska to Baja California. Individuals reach up to 3-1/2 inches in length and are commonly found in tidepools; they are often associated with algae.

The Fluffy Sculpin varies significantly in color and pattern, with a spotted or mottled pattern ranging from emerald green to reddish, to pink with a blue underbelly. They are difficult to detect in their native environment as their blotchy camouflage pattern matches well with their surroundings.

This fish has no scales, but rather has “fluffy flesh” behind its dorsal fin for which it gets its name.

The Fluffy Sculpin is a predator, with a diet consisting mainly of amphipods and polychaete worms. Larger individuals also feed on small shrimp and crabs.

As with many other intertidal fishes, a homing mechanism has been documented in this species. It is suggested that Fluffy Sculpins occupy home ranges of more than one pool. It is also suggested that the fluctuating intertidal environment demands that these fish be able to find and recognize safe spots.

If conditions deteriorate in the pool inhabited by the Fluffy Sculpin when the tide is out, it is able to leave the water and breathe air. This species is a particularly interesting air breather, because its respiratory rates in air and in water are similar and stable.

This is a super cool fish that not only is common, but is also fun to find, due to its variablilty in appearance.

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I caught a couple of these fine fish while tidepooling in the Golden State. Though it may look like an eel, due to its flattened, elongated body – it is in the same order as many other more “conventionally shaped” fish, such as Striped Bass.

Fully grown adult Rock Gunnels can reach a foot in length. Their coloration is highly variable, ranging from hues of yellow-green to brown to crimson.

This neat creature may remain above the waterline at low tide, sheltered beneath rocks and algae; it can breathe air if necessary. They are frequently encountered on rocky shorelines and splash around noticeably when uncovered.

The Rock Gunnel uses habitat sheltered by rocks and algae both above and below the waterline, which is likely to protected it from its natural predators – seabirds, fish and marine mammals.

Thought to spawn during Winter, its eggs are laid on the underside of a shell or under a stone in a nest prepared by the male. The male guards the eggs, fanning them with his tail.

The Rock Gunnel is found in the coastal waters of North America and Europe. It is thought to feed mainly on small crustaceans, polychaetes and mollusks.

This fish is also known as the “Butterfish” due to its slipperiness.

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While tidepooling in California we found many cool creatures, including a few examples of this neat fish.

Sculpins make up a very large family of fish, with about 300 species. They are characterized by an oversized head and fanlike pectoral fins.

Most species are found in Arctic or temperate waters and are bottom dwellers. They typically occur in shallow or intertidal zones, though some species occur in the deep ocean and others in fresh water.

Sculpins differ from many other bony fish because they lack a swim bladder. A swim bladder is a gas-filled sack that a fish can expand or deflate to control its buoyancy in the water column. Lack of a swim bladder fits the sculpin’s bottom-dwelling habits.

Most species of Sculpin have cryptic coloration (brown or green to blend in with silt and algae). They are generally small fish, ranging 5 to 6 inches in length.

The Padded Sculpin feeds mainly on small invertebrates; in turn, it is an important food sources for other fish.

Sculpins are also known as “Bullheads” or “Sea Scorpions” and even some very unflattering terms, such as “Double Uglies.”

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A tadpole in the ocean? That was the first thought that went through my head upon finding this fascinating fish. Most Clingfish species have tapering bodies and flattened heads, appearing somewhat tadpole-like in their overall shape.

These fairly small to very small fishes are widespread in tropical and temperate regions, mostly near the coast, but a few species in deeper seas or fresh water. They are thought to primarily feed on tiny crustaceans.

Clingfish are named for their ability to firmly attach themselves to surfaces, even in strong water currents or when hit by waves. This ability is enabled by their sucking disc, which is located on the underside at the chest and is formed by modified pelvic fins and adjacent tissue.

Most species shelter in shallow reefs or seagrass beds, clinging to rocks, algae and seagrass leaves with their sucking disc. The sucking disc can be remarkably strong, in some species able to lift as much as 300 times the weight of the Clingfish.

A Clingfish’s suction cup does double duty. When the tide goes out, a Clingfish’s pool might be left high and dry. But the cup holds in moisture, so the fish can still breathe.

They often live in places exposed to strong currents and wave action and some are amphibious. As long as this intertidal-living species is kept moist by splashing waves, it can survive for up to three to four days on land.

Most Clingfish species have a cryptic coloration, often brown, grey, whitish, black, reddish or green shades, and in some cases they can rapidly change color to match their background. This was a super cool find while tidepooling in the Golden State.

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While tidepooling in the Bay Area of California, I came across this super cool creature that looks like seaweed.

The Striped Kelpfish has an elongated and compressed body. It is brown, green or red in color and can be weakly striped or mottled in darker colors. It reaches a maximum length of 9 inches, with females being larger than males.

These neat fish are found in intertidal zones within algae beds including in tidal pools and within seaweed and the kelp canopy mid-water at depths up to 30 feet.

Kelpfish are known to change colors to adapt to their surroundings, they do this to hunt for their food, which is other small fish, crustaceans and mollusks…or to avoid becoming eaten.

They are considered to be an important component of the food chain preyed upon by a large variety of fish, sea birds and marine mammals.

The Striped Kelpfish is native to the Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.

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This was an exciting find while tidepooling in California. The creature’s color can be varying shades of green, maroon or brown. It is commonly 4 to 8 inches long, though it can grow up to 18 inches. It is most easily identified by the dark bar below each eye.

This is an elongated fish with long, low fins that tends to camouflage itself by matching the color of the seaweed where it hides. While Penpoint Gunnels cannot change color, they appear to be able to recognize and select the vegetation for which their color is a good match.

In addition to hiding in seaweed, they also hide under rocks – including rocks out of the water at low tide. These fish are capable of breathing air while out of the water. The “penpoint” refers to the first spine of the anal fin. It is large and grooved like a fountain pen point.

Like most Gunnels, the Penpoint Gunnel feeds on small crustaceans and mollusks. This North American Pacific Coast fish ranges from Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska to Santa Barbara Island in southern California.

Of all the cool creatures that I encountered on my California visit, this one was my favorite.

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