Trivia question for Mar-03-2011

Posted on Mar 3, 2011 in Trivia

I wonder about Olivia sometimes.  She definitely holds a special place in her heart for all the odd and peculiar looking creatures out there.  Nothing wrong with that of course, it just seems to come from left field sometimes 😉  Anyway, here is her trivia “creature” for the day.

These guys have wide-set eyes on top of their heads.  They are not born this way, but by the time they are full grown, this is what they look like.  They are equipped with poisonous spines on their back and a wormlike tongue lure which wiggles to attract curious prey.

These guys are not currently considered to be threatened.  Although they are considered to be dangerous and one of the ugliest of all fishes, they are harvested for human consumption and are considered a delicacy in several countries.

So here are Olivia’s questions.  Tell us what other defense mechanism they have besides their poisonous spines, and also tell us what their scientific name “Scaber” means.

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

This was another tough one.  Many folks guessed Angler Fish because of the wormlike lure fact we mentioned.  In fact, this is the Stargazer.  Stargazers get their name because as adults, their eyes are moved towards the top center of their body and they typically bury themselves in the mud so just their eyes and wiggling worm lure is visible.  They look as if they are gazing up at the starts all the time.

Stargazers are venomous; they have two large poison spines situated behind the opercle and above the pectoral fins. They can also deliver a nasty electrical shock to anything that tries to catch or eat them.  Their scientific name is “Scaber” which means Rough, Scurvy or Untidy.  Here is more on these attractive looking fish:  Stargazers

Thanks for playing along 😉