Sea Robin

                                    Prionotus carolinus

 

habitat:  Shallow seas from Southern New England and New York southward to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

 

domain:  Eukarya

kingdom:  Animalia

phylum:  Chordata

class:  Actinopterygii

order:  Scorpaeniformes

family:  Triglidae
genus:  Drionotus
species:  carolinus

The sea robin has bilateral symmetry.  They are grayish or reddish brown with a large head, small mouth, and fan like pectoral fins.  One functional adaptation is an elongated pectoral fin that act as feelers as the fish search for crustaceans or other small prey.  Another adaptation is they have spiny plated heads to root out crustaceans, worms, and mollusks.  They also functionally adapt by using their pectoral fins to walk along the bottom of the ocean looking for prey.  An interesting fact about the Sea Robin is they have sharp spines on their dorsal fins and gill plates the inject a mild poison.  Their prey on shrimp, crabs, squid, mollusks, and segmented worms.  Their predators are humans.  They are heterotrophic and ectothermic.