Xiphister mucosus

When venturing at Anderson Bay on the 19th of May I came into contact with a rock prickle back more formally known as Xiphister mucosus. It is considered to be a non true eel. Even though this specie is fairly small, only growing to a maximum 23 inches long, some of its relatives can get very large, Like the monkey face prickle back/ Cebidichthys violaceu. This fishes range consists of the Alaskan coastline, dwelling under rocks in the lower tidal zones, to Point Conception in California. This fish can stay out of the water under ricks and seaweed for long periods of time. The rock prickle back is a long slender fish. Young prickle back are a greenish brown with speckles and mature prickle backs are a dark brown with orange criss-crossing pattern on their backs. The fish gets its common name from its spiny dorsal fin that travels the length of its body; as well as its species mucosus indicating the slimy mucus coating the animal. The rock prickle backs live in schools in the rocks they in habit. Large numbers can be found in meters of coastline. Mating occurs in the early spring and it takes the prickle back five years to mature. Mature adults are very valuable because not many, in reality, make it to mating age. The females lay a large number of eggs and the male will surround the eggs to keep them moist and to protect them. This behavior is also seen in the green wolf eel/Congrogadus subducens. They prey upon small fish and crustaceans as well as green algae making up most of their diet. Since these fish are not a dominating predator they are preyed upon by mackerel, large crustaceans, wolf fish, and salmon. Even those this fish has a face that only a mother could love they are surprisingly good to eat, something to keep in mind next time you judge a meal by its appearance.


Resources:
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/speciessummary.php?id=3798
http://www.pugetsoundsealife.com/habitats+sealife/Rock_Prickleback.html
http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/projects/msap/PS/masterlist/fish/monkeyfaceprickleback.html
http://www.celebrationsca.com/InfoAFishStoryMonkeyfacePrickleback.htm
http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/prickleback.html