Families
The currently recognized families are:
- Abyssocottidae: deepwater Baikal sculpins (22 species )
- Agonidae: poacher (fish) (47 spp)
- Bathylutichthyidae: the Antarctic sculpin (1 sp)
- Comephoridae: Baikal oilfishes (2 spp)
- Cottidae: common sculpins (~275 spp)
- Ereuniidae: deepwater sculpins (3 spp)
- Hemitripteridae: searavens (8 spp)
- Psychrolutidae: fathead sculpins (35 spp)
- Rhamphocottidae: the grunt sculpin (1 sp)
The vast majority of these families live in salt water; only the Abyssocottids, Comephorids, and a few species of Cottids live in fresh water. These bottom feeders are generally considered edible, and have sharp spines rather than scales. Sculpin can live for several hours out of water if kept moist. They use their large pectoral fins to stabilize themselves on the floor of flowing creeks and rivers.
The freshwater ones are called "muddlers", "Miller's Thumbs" or "Skull Fish" and are often used as bait for brown trout and bass. Saltwater staghorn sculpins are used as bait for large Pacific striped bass. All but the staghorn have large, sharp teeth, and some, like the large sea raven, can inflict serious bites on people. Their venomous spines are on both dorsal fins, the pectoral fins, pelvic fins, anal fins, and several on the gill cover.
Read more about this topic: Sculpin
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