Cabezon
Aquarium Inhabitant Bio
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus
Description
An ambushing predator that like to hide in rocks, reefs, and kelp forests. Ranges in color with varying shades of brown, red, or green with dots to help with camouflage.
Habitat and distribution
They are often found near kelp beds, jetties, isolated rocky reefs, or pinnacles, and in shallow tide pools. Most of their time is spent sitting in rock crevices, on reefs, in tidepools, or on kelp blades beneath the canopy, but not actively swimming. Ranges from Baja Mexico to Alaska.
Diet
Consists of mainly crustaceans, although large and small cabezon have different diets. Adult fish eat crabs, small lobsters, mollusks ( abalone, squid, octopus), and small fish. Small juveniles depend mainly on amphipods, shrimp, crabs, and other small crustaceans.
Fun Fact
Cabezon means “large head” in Spanish,
