Northern Stargazer
Astroscopus guttatus
The northern stargazer has a dark, flattened body with white spots that gradually get bigger from the head tot the tail. (David Snyder/FishWise)
The stargazer's mouth and eyes are located on the top of its large head, facing upward. (Image courtesy canvasman21/Wikimedia)
Northern stargazers can deliver an electric charge that stuns and confuses prey and helps ward off predators. (Image by Peter Leahy/Shutterstock)
The northern stargazer is a strange-looking fish with a speckled, flattened body and a large head. It lives at the bottom of the lower Chesapeake Bay’s deep, open waters.
Appearance
The northern stargazer has a blackish-brown body with white spots that gradually get bigger from its head to its tail. It's flattened body can grow to 22 inches in length, but it averages 8 to 18 inches in length. Its mouth and eyes are located on the top of its large head, facing upward. Three dark, horizontal lines appear on its tail.
Feeding
Northern stargazers eat small fish, crabs and other crustaceans. They hunt by burying themselves in the sand with their eyes and mouth sticking out just enough to search for prey. Once something tasty swims by, the stargazer uses its large mouth to create a vacuum to suck its prey in.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Spawning occurs in May to June. Females lay small, transparent eggs on the bottom of the Bay. Eggs eventually float to the surface and hatch. Larvae grow rapidly, feeding from a yolk sac until it is completely absorbed. Once they grow to about 12 to 15 millimeters long, larvae swim to the bottom of the Bay, where they mature into adults. At this time their electric organ also begins to form.
Did You Know?
- Part of the stargazer's scientific name, Astrocopus, means "one who aims at the stars," and guttatus means "speckled."
- The stargazer uses its side fins as shovels to quickly burrow below the sand in a matter of seconds.
- Northern stargazers have an organ on their heads that can deliver an electric charge that stuns and confuses prey and helps ward off predators.
Sources and Additional Information
- Fishes of Chesapeake Bay by Edward O. Murdy, Ray S. Birdsong and John A. Musick
- Northern Stargazer – Florida Museum of Natural History
Quick Facts
Species
Native
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Size
Averages 8 to 18 inches, can reach 22 inches in length -
Habitat
Lives at the bottom of deep, open waters.
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Range
Found mostly in the lower Chesapeake Bay, but sometimes travels to the upper Bay in autumn. Ranges along the Atlantic Coast between New York and North Carolina.
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Diet
Feeds on small fish, crabs and other crustaceans -
Status
Stable