Pallid sculpin, Cottunculus thomsoni.
Pallid Sculpin, Cottunculus thomsoni

Of the two soft sculpins in the Arctic, this one is smoother skinned, with few spines. Its common name refers to the colour of its skin – a translucent grey, which darkens toward the tail. Its dorsal and anal fins are long, extending the length of its body, and are quite soft and flexible. Bumps and knobs adorn its head, which is quite large, and rounded. This fish reaches a length of about 35 cm.

The pallid sculpin is a bottom-dweller that consumes small invertebrates on the deep ocean floor. It occurs from 100–1600 m, in waters from Davis Strait, extending through the Atlantic to off the coast of North Africa. Little is known of its biology, but it is believed to prefer waters that are slightly warmer than its soft sculpin relative, the polar sculpin.