Horned Searobin
Bellator militaris
Also known as: Flying Gurnard, Grunt Fish, Gurnard
- Flying Gurnard
- Grunt Fish
- Gurnard
Overview
Found singly, on mud and sandy bottoms, of shallow bays, estuaries, and deeper to the mid shelf, sometimes buried in the sand, they are more active at night, where they use their lower spine Pectoral fins like feet, to feel for invertebrates.
They feed nocturnally on benthic invertebrates.
Juveniles found in estuaries.
Sea robins have heavily armoured, spiny heads. They have separate rays (like soft spines) on their bellies, near the Pectoral fins these spines act like legs, as the fish walks along the bottom of the ocean they use these spines to find crustaceans in the sand.
They also grunt. French term for the word Gurnard means to grunt.
They have poisonous spines on their backs.
How to identify
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Habitat & where to find it
- Range · Western Atlantic
Found singly, on mud and sandy bottoms, of shallow bays, estuaries, and deeper to the mid shelf, sometimes buried in the sand, they are more active at night, where they use their lower spine Pectoral fins like feet, to feel for invertebrates.
Adult photos 0
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Deep dive
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