Our animals
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Northern lakes and seas
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The Pond
Water lillies
The wide creek
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Herrings in the Sound
Boulder reef in the Sound
Hideouts of the seabed
Sandy bottom
Eelgrass in the Sound
Faroese bird cliff
Select species
Select a species to read more
Ballan wrasse
Rock gunnel
Greater pipefish
Broadnosed pipefish
Snake pipefish
Sea stickleback
Three-spined stickleback
Plumose sea anemone
Blue mussel
Sea stickleback
Facts
| Latin | Spinachia spinachia |
| Size | 22 cm |
| Food | Small crustaceans and plankton |
| Habitat | Seaweed meadows |
| IUCN | Least concern |
| Location | Eastern Atlantic |
| Map |  |
Get to know the sea stickleback
The sea stickleback is long with a thin tail, small mouth and 14-16 spines in front of the dorsal fin. The body is covered by bony plates that make the sea stickleback quite rigid. The sea stickleback is a typical member of the stickleback family.
Multi-coloured
The sea stickleback takes on the colours of its surroundings; for example, if it is brown it lives among brown algae and if it is blue-green, it lives among eel grass. The belly is light in colour.
A brief life
When it is spring the male builds a nest made of seaweed. The female lays her eggs in the nest and dies shortly afterwards. The male guards the nest in the weeks to come. After a couple of weeks, the offspring hatch and the male dies. The sea stickleback only has one brood in its brief life.
Weather fish
The sea stickleback was previously used as a weather fish. The fish was dried and hung on a flax thread in the living area. When humidity rose, the fish became heavier because it absorbed the moisture. When the flax thread stretched longer, it was a warning that rain was soon to come.
Take an excursion
Meet the sea stickleback in both brackish water and salt water. It lives in shallow water in the seaweed belts. It is difficult to see because it camouflages itself.