No.38 Lumpsucker

A saltwater fish belonging to the Dango-Uo family, it is found mainly in shallow reef areas at depths of about 20 meters north of the Kanto region.

Its name comes from its round and small appearance, which looks like a dumpling. In shallow rocky areas where it is easily affected by waves, it bends its tail to become even more rounded and reduces the protrusion of its body, thereby absorbing the force of waves.

This sample was requested by NHK Enterprises, Inc. and the CT scan was conducted as a project for NHK E-television's "Gyogyotto Sakana★Star.
The “Giggle at Sakana★Star” program HP: https://www.nhk.jp/p/ts/P58QMGP4K1/

CT imaging revealed a skeleton that looked like an insect's foot in the abdominal position. There are suckers in this position, and the abdominal fins have changed because the fish is not good at swimming. Because fish react to moving objects, they attach themselves with suckers and assimilate with the surrounding landscape to hide their presence.