Ryan Photographic - Uranoscopidae - Stargazers

Family Uranoscopidae

According to Fishbase there are 53 species of stargazers in 8 genera. They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are all bottom dwelling predators with a penchant for burrowing in the sand with only their eyes protruding. Their mouth opens almost at the level of the eye so prey capture from the sand requires little movement. Some species possess a lure which originates from the floor of the mouth. One genus, Astroscopus, has electric organs. Stargazers are not a fish to mess with. They have double-grooved poison spines behind the operculum and above the pectoral fins. These connect to basal venom glands. They feed on prettty much anything within sutiable size range that swims over them. And this is waaay more information than Wikipedia currently contains - cleverly plagiarized from Fishbase.

Genyagnus monopterygius Spotted stargazer Kourepoua

Genyagnus monopterygius Spotted stargazer Kourepoua whole fish

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