Saddleback Sculpin

Oligocottus rimensis

The Saddleback Sculpin is a small fish, typically reaching lengths of up to 6.4 cm. It has an elongated body that tapers from a blunt round head to the tail, with a distinctive single preopercular spine. Its body is covered in prickles and papillae, with larger scales running laterally. The fish displays an olivaceous color pattern, with shades of red and green dorsally and tan and green ventrally. Five distinct saddle-like markings are visible along its dorsal side, complemented by a black spot on the head and a broken band running laterally. This species is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from southeastern Alaska to northern Baja California, Mexico. It inhabits the lower intertidal zones, thriving among rocky substrates, kelp beds, and eelgrass. While primarily intertidal, the Saddleback Sculpin can venture into subtidal zones and even survive out of water for extended periods by breathing air. The diet of the Saddleback Sculpin consists mainly of small crustaceans such as gammarid amphipods, sphaeromatid isopods, and harpacticoid copepods. Juveniles predominantly consume harpacticoids, shifting to gammarids as they mature. The IUCN has not evaluated this species, and encounters are generally harmless to humans.