Cow fish: characteristics, habitats, danger to humans

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Cow fish (Uranoscopus scaber) is a representative of the benthic ichthyofauna, belonging to the stargazer family (lat. Uranoscopidae). This species has several interesting appearance traits, which are the origin of its names. In addition to international Latin, the fish has 2 Russian names: sea cow and European stargazer.

Features of biology

The European stargazer is a medium-sized predatory fish that is ideally adapted to living on the bottom. The swim bladder, typical of many pelagic representatives of the ichthyofauna, is absent from the sea cow.

In addition to the appearance, this species has a number of interesting biological properties, including:

• poison;
• hidden way of life, implying burrowing into the ground;
• bioelectroluminescence.

In the body of a cow fish there is a special organ that functions as an acoustic device. It is able to generate not only sound, but also electrical impulses. The last ones are 2species:

• short - are caused by mechanical stimulation and last about a millisecond;
• long - typical for the spawning period, the duration of the electric shock is a few seconds.

The electric-acoustic organ can be used for three purposes: detecting prey, paralyzing with electric shock, and scaring away predators. The sea cow has 2 of these devices, each located behind the eye.

The stargazer's head is equipped with tubular nostrils through which water enters the gills when the fish is buried in the ground.

Origin of the name

The Latin name of this species literally means "watching the sky". Such an association arose because, when looking at the fish, it seems that it is looking up. Indeed, the stargazer's viewing angle should cover the water space above the animal, when the predator's body is almost completely buried in the ground.

The second component of the species name (scaber) in translation means "rough", which indicates the rigidity of the stargazer's covers. This is especially true of the head, enclosed in a shell of rough bone plates.

Uranoscopus scaber got its Russian name "sea cow" because it has two horn-like spikes on its head.

Appearance and photo of sea cow fish

The European stargazer has a rather original appearance. It is characterized by an elongated spindle-shaped body up to 35cm long. Males are slightly smaller than females.

The stargazer's head is somewhat flattened in the vertical plane, which can be attributed to the characteristic features of the existence of the benthic type in the biotope. The stargazer's mouth is very wide and U-shaped. On the lower lip, lined with teeth, there is a fleshy outgrowth supported by a thin thread. It serves to attract prey.

In the photo, a cow fish looks like a massive marine animal with a disproportionately huge head and a narrowed tail. When viewed from above, such a silhouette resembles a pear. A particularly noteworthy feature of this fish are strongly protruding eyes, which are set not on the sides, but on the top of the head. Such a design is necessary so that the organ of vision can remain on the surface of the soil and actively review the surrounding water area.

The body of a cow fish is covered with small yellow-brown scales, the color on the sides is spotty. The body is smooth in appearance, and the surface of the head is rough, wrinkled and bumpy, equipped with spikes. All of the Stargazer's fins have blue trim, except for the first dorsal fin, which is all black.

Distribution area and biotope characteristics

The area of distribution of cow fish covers the following areas:

• part of the Atlantic Ocean, stretching along the coasts of Europe and Africa;
• the coastal zone of the Mediterranean,North and Black Seas;
• Channel;
• Biscay (very rare here).

The European stargazer lives at shallow depths (from 10 to 50 meters). As a biotope, this fish prefers sandy and muddy bottoms.

Lifestyle & Nutrition

During the hunt, the fish completely burrows into the sand, leaving only the eyes and mouth on the surface. Freezing in this position, the predator awaits the arrival of the prey. Its eyes constantly rotate in different directions, assessing the proximity of prey. The movement of the fleshy outgrowth of the lower lip acts as a lure.

The sea cow fish diet includes:

• worms;
• shellfish;
• crustaceans;
• small fish.

The stargazer captures the approaching prey with the help of the lower jaw, armed with tenacious teeth. An animal caught in a wide open mouth is immediately swallowed. Sometimes, before capturing the victim, the astrologer will paralyze them with an electric shock.

Reproduction and life cycle

Cowfish is a dioecious species, which is characterized by slight sexual dimorphism, expressed in body size. So, the female stargazer is larger and more massive.

Spawning is carried out in the summer. At this time, each female lays about 125 thousand eggs. From fertilized eggs, fry appear, which for some time lead a pelagic lifestyle, and only then switch tobenthic.

Puberty in males is reached after 1 year, and in females after 2. This age corresponds to sizes of 11 cm and 14 cm, respectively. The total lifespan of a cow fish is very short (4 to 6 years).

Danger to humans

The European stargazer is one of the most dangerous representatives of the Black Sea ichthyofauna. A cow fish, of course, cannot cause serious irreparable harm to human he alth, but still a collision with it has very unpleasant consequences.

In the body of the stargazer are poisonous:

• thorns located on the gill cover;
• mucus covering the body;
• fins;
• teeth.

Slime causes harm when fish comes into contact with unprotected human skin, resulting in a chemical burn. The poison contained in the spines, fins and teeth enters the body through injuries caused by punctures or bites. Such wounds are very painful and are accompanied by the appearance of a large swelling in their place. Toxin in the blood causes dizziness.

Sea cows are not always poisonous, but only during the spawning period. However, they are dangerous only for fishermen. Ordinary vacationers cannot accidentally meet with the European stargazer, which lives in the near-bottom zone, 10 or more meters away from the coast.