We are happy to announce the world’s first exhibit of jaggedhead gurnard. at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

≪オニキホウボウ≫
Scientific name：Gargariscus prionocephalus
English name：Jaggedhead gurnard

The jaggedhead gurnard is a rare fish species found on the deep-sea floor from the Pacific coast of Wakayama Prefecture south to the northwest coast of Australia.
Its body has a hard armor and there are distinctive two barbel protrusions from beneath its mouth. It gets is name from the unusual jagged saw-like shape of its head.
This species is on rare occasions caught during trawl net fishing. Its ecology is mostly unknown.

Place of exhibit

Journey into the Deep Sea in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Size of Exhibit

One individual about 25cm in length
*Exhibit may close depending on the condition of the animals.

The jaggedhead gurnard successfully displayed at the aquarium, was collected in October 2019 from the ocean floor 350 meters below the surface, offshore of Okinawa Island, using the aquarium’s remotely operated vehicle. For the first time in the world, observation of the species has successfully taken place, noting behaviors such as walking along the sea floor using finger-like parts of its pectoral fins, gliding across the sea floor by extending its pectoral fins, and moving the barbels under its mouth.
After its capture, we brought it back to the aquarium where it went through decompression in a pressurized water tank for 14 days. After confirming it had started to feed, it was then displayed in the aquarium.
We hope you come and see the jaggedhead gurnard, an extremely rare and uniquely shaped deep-sea fish.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium will continue to help reveal the ecology of this species by conducting deep sea surveys using our remotely operated vehicle and observations through rearing.