Unusual lumpsucker fish found off Cornwall

'CUTE AND COMICAL': The baby lumpsucker brought to the aquarium by a fisherman

Will grow to the size of a football

November 2011: A baby lumpsucker that had been accidentally caught by a local fisherman has gone on display in a nursery tank at Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium.

One of the UK's most unusual-looking fish, the lumpsucker is rarely spotted in Cornish water; preferring the colder temperatures further north.

The baby, is just 2cm long, has gone on display in the aquarium's nursery unit where it is doing well.

‘The world's least graceful fish'
Blue Reef's Matt Slater said: ‘Lumpsuckers have been described as one of the marine world's least graceful fish and they certainly look strange with their scaleless blue-green skin and deep bodies covered with bony lumps.

‘However this thimble-sized baby is incredibly comical and very cute looking and is proving to be one of the most popular creatures with our visitors,' he added.

Found from Northern Europe and Greenland to Maryland in the United States, lumpsuckers spend most of their time in deep water.In the spring, they come into the shallows to spawn. While the female returns to deeper waters, the male remains and protects the clump of up to 200,000 eggs until they hatch.

The fish's pelvic fins are adapted to form a powerful sucker on their undersides which is useful for clinging to rocks, particularly in wave-washed shallow waters and also allows the father to stay anchored to the rocks beside his eggs.

Strong enough to lift a bucket full of water
‘At the moment he's still tiny but, after five years or more, he'll eventually grow to the size of a football and weigh up to 5kg.

‘They're fascinating fish and people are particularly intrigued when they find out that the eggs are used as a substitute for caviar,' added Matt.

Apparently, 18th century scientists, keen to find out whether the lumpsucker really lived up to its name, noted that a bucket full of water could be lifted by the tail of a full grown fish clinging to its base.