Facts aboat Stargazers

Stargazers (Uranoscopidae) Stargazers are named for their peculiar appearance with eyes positioned dorsally on the head, usually with protruding eyes that are directed upward. The body is moderately elongate and depressed anteriorly. The large head is almost entirely encased in sculptured bones and also flattened. The large, nearly vertical mouth is equipped with small teeth and there is a peculiar respiratory valve inside the lower jaw that functions as a lure for attracting fish prey. The lips are fringed with numerous papillae in most species. They are also numerous tiny cirri along the fleshy posterior margin of the operculum. The gill openings are very broad and equipped with dorsal, valve like openings, which aid respiration when partially buried. A stout cleithral spine situated just behind each dorsal gill opening. This spine is venomous in at least some species and serious injuries have been reported. Read more.....