Fun Irish Lord Fish Facts For Kids
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Irish lord fish is the other name for the genus Hemilepidotus. Hemilepidotus are a group of species of the family Cottidae.
The members of this family Cottidae of the superfamily Cottoidea are also known by the name of sculpin. Sculpin is the largest family of fish. The Irish lords are native to the Arctic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean.
There are five documented species of fish under the Irish lords. They are, the red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus), Gilbert's Irish lord (Hemilepidotus gilberti), Yellow Irish lord (Hemilepidotus jordani), brown Irish lord (Hemilepidotus spinosus), and longfin Irish lord (Hemilepidotus zapus).
The red Irish lord is found in temperate and demersal coastal waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean from Russia to Alaska to the west coast of the US in Washington and California. It is rare in the south to Central California and is found in a range as far as Monterey Bay.
The red Irish lord is dominantly red in color but has mottling or spots of various colors (white, yellow, brown, orange, and pink) on the body.
The red Irish lord lives their life till the age of six years. Many species of the Irish lord fish have been found over the years in shallow and bottom waters of the sea, camouflaged.
The red Irish lord with a large head and large eyes is partially scaled. The red Irish lord has 10 to 12 dorsal spines, 35 vertebrae, and 18 to 20 dorsal soft rays.
For more relatable content, check out these piranha fish facts and Chinese paddlefish facts.
Irish Lord Fish Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Irish lord fish?
Irish lords are members of the family called Cottidae of the superfamily Cottoidea also known by the name sculpin. This species of fish is found in the Pacific and the Arctic ocean. These carnivorous sculpins remain camouflaged in the depths of the sea.
What class of animal does an Irish lord fish belong to?
The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) falls under the class of Actinopterygii in the kingdom of Animalia.
How many Irish lord fish are there in the world?
The population size of the Irish lord fish is not known.
However, all species of sculpins including the red Irish lord, brown Irish lord, yellow Irish lord, among all the others are found abundant in the marine range of the Arctic ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean.
Where does an Irish lord fish live?
The usual marine habitat of the genus Hemilepidotus is found in the Arctic ocean and Pacific ocean.
The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) is found primarily in the coastal waters of the Northern Pacific Ocean. The range extends from the Bering Sea in Russia to Alaska and then from Alaska to Washington and Monterey Bay in California. However, the red Irish lords are rarely found that far south.
The species is abundant on the west coast of the US. Years after years, the species of sculpins can be found in the same habitats and the numbers are still on the up.
The brown Irish lord is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska south to Santa Barbara Island in California.
The yellow Irish lord is found in the marine surroundings of the northern Pacific Ocean in the northern Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Gulf of Anadyr and Sitka, Alaska.
What is an Irish lord fish's habitat?
The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) is found in shallow rocky waters and the fish rest in the depths and blend with the surroundings. The red Irish lord is found in shallow waters to depths of 1476 ft (450 m) in the marine habitat.
The red Irish lords spend most of their life on the seafloor in rock and gravel habitats. They join other related species in sharing the same bottom of the sea.
The red Irish lord and all the other species prefer a temperate, demersal marine environment. The red Irish lord found in rocky habitats is commonly found in shallow areas where the species is known to camouflage itself in seaweeds, sponges, and many other sea life.
The red Irish lords remain camouflaged among rocks on the floor and are known to lash out to catch their prey.
Who do Irish lord fish live with?
The company the red Irish lord keeps is not known.
How long does an Irish lord fish live?
Red Irish lords are known to live for six years.
How do they reproduce?
There are five cycles related to the species- eggs, larvae, pre-juvenile, juvenile, and adult stages. Females lay eggs in the nests made by the males of the species.
Males care for the eggs in the family Cottidae. However, in the case of the related red Irish lord, the females care for the eggs and both the parents care for the spawn. Eggs are laid between October and January.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of the red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) is Not Evaluated by the IUCN Red List. However, the population is quite well distributed and there is no cause for concern currently.
Irish Lord Fish Fun Facts
What do Irish lord fish look like?
The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) does not have full scales on the body and is only partially scaled. The body is slim and the species have a broad head with big eyes. The dorsal fin is separated into three notches.
There are 10 to 12 dorsal spines and 18 to 20 dorsal soft rays in the red Irish lord. There are many bands of scales on its body. The dorsal band is four to five scales wide.
Another band can be seen below the lateral line which is 10 scales wide. Brown Irish lord has the dorsal band six to eight scales wide. There are 35 vertebrae.
The red coloration is present on the body with white, yellow, black, or brown mottling. The body is darker above and pale white below. Pectoral and anal fins are mottled, however, the pelvic fins are pale-colored. The fish can change their coloration to blend with the surroundings.
How cute are they?
They are not usually considered cute.
How do they communicate?
Fish communicate visually or chemically.
How big is a Irish lord fish?
The length of the red Irish lord has a range of 12-20 in (30.48-50.8 cm).
Similar length can also be seen in other species too.
How fast can an Irish lord fish swim?
The speed at which the red Irish lord swims is not known.
How much does an Irish lord fish weigh?
The weight of the red Irish lord is up to 2.44 lb (1.11 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
The males and females of the red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) are not given different names.
What would you call a baby Irish lord fish?
Babies of Irish lords are called spawns.
What do they eat?
The main diet of the red Irish lord consists of crabs, shrimps, mussels, small fish, and barnacles. The fish stays still at the bottom of the ocean and grabs the prey when in close proximity.
The main predator of the red Irish lord is the North American River Otter. It is a species of otter found in the North American continent.
Are they dangerous?
They are not dangerous to humans.
Would they make a good pet?
They are not considered pets. Fishers also discard the Irish lords when caught as bycatch.
Did you know...
The spots the large and distinct scales arranged in two bands along the back help the red Irish lord blend well with the surroundings in the depths of the sea. The fishes camouflage well in the bottom.
The red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus) is sometimes eaten and considered good eating as mentioned by many researchers.
The main source of nutrients for these fishes comes from crabs, barnacles, shrimps, smaller fishes, and mussels.
Are Irish lord fish sculpins?
They are members of the superfamily of sculpins known as Cottoidea.
How many eggs do Irish lord fish lay?
The number of eggs these fishes lay is not known.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these shark facts and clownfish interesting facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Irish lord fish coloring pages.
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