Atlantic stargazer
(Uranoscopus scaber)
General data
The Atlantic stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber) is a marine, subtropical fish of family Uranoscopidae. Its body is suited for living on the sea floor, and is one of few fish capable of bioelectrogenesis, or the ability to generate an electric charge.
Distribution and habitat
It is widespread along the Atlantic coast of Europe and Africa, is very common in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and somewhat rare in the Bay of Biscay. It is a demersal fish, which lives in sandy or muddy sand sediments along the upper slope of the continental shelf, between depths of 14–400 meters. It is not an economically important fish, primarily caught as by-catch, but is ecologically important.
Description
Typical of stargazers, its body is somewhat dorso-ventrally flattened, lacks a swimbladder, and has been found as large as 35 centimeters in length, but is usually between 20 and 30 cm. Its head and jaws are rotated upward, and has very large eyes and mouth. Its body is brown in color and can have numerous small light spots, with a lighter belly. It lives to about 5 or 6 years, and females are larger in size than males.
