There you are!! I was starting to worry. I too am cleaning - got my PJ drawer cleaned out. I taken the sleepy T's I don't use out, and will take them to a friends for CP - they pick up at her house once a month, so we use it as a gathering point. So kind of her, as it completely disrupts her front hallway!!

Cyn, I am stumped - is the special thing the same on both, or different?? It looks like different, but I wanted to be sure. I get the feeling there are some strong clues in your preamble......

Nancy.

Heck, I haven't even heard of these two never mind know anything about them :(.

Annette

I haven't heard of a spotted handfish. I suppose if it had spotted hands, that would be pretty special. I have heard of a sculpin, and if I'm remembering the right fish, it is very strange-looking. I saw a batch of them in California once, that a fisherman had just brought in and dumped onto the parking lot. They weren't exhibiting their special ability then, but maybe they were deceased at that point.

Interesting question, Cynthia!

TM

You are all much quicker than I today!

Nancy, the fish have different 'skills/characteristics'. Yes, the sculpin is odd-looking. Was the fisherman wearing gloves?

The spotted handfish is slow-moving. Apparently, he doesn't like swimming very much! :)

Cynthia

I wonder if the sculpin share traits with your chipmunk??

Nancy.

No stars for me today. If I have heard of these fish I have forgotten the info. Spotted hands...ha,ha, TM.

Nancy, not the sculpin, but you are on the right track sort of...the spotted handfish is a bottom-dweller. Suspect he would be a fan of Darwin.

Now, I chose the sculpin because I wanted TM to know what to do if he hooks one. There is/will be a connection to my chipmunks, but it is rather convoluted.

Cynthia

A thought on the spotted guy, if he doesn't swim much does he walk?

Annette

Annette - I was thinking the same thing, but for the sculpin. I guess they can't both walk.

TM

Spotted handfish, if he is a bottom dweller and doesn't like to swim much must be the walker. I remember reading about a fish that walks on its bottom fins but didn't remember the fish's name.

Sculpin, does it have spiky fins since you asked if the fisherman wore gloves?

I was also thinking of fish that bury themselves to hide and hunt....

Nancy.

Oh, you guys are good. Yes, the spotted handfish does walk. More details later.

TM, do you carry hook removers or pliers with you when you fish? If you hook a sculpin, you definitely need one of those to protect yourself.

Hint in first post...

Cynthia

lol. I had a Darwin fish on the back of my mini-van!!

{{gwi:615031}}
Rather ticked cause I used to have this,and never considered it an atheist symbol even thought the site where I found the pic said it was - it is still a fish, after all!!

Nancy.

You can get some pretty bad infections from fish spines and teeth so, being gloves were mentioned is this particular fish poisonous by any chance.

Annette

About the gloves - I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the sculpin has spines like some other fish, but what would be different about sculpin spines? Maybe they come out easily like a porcupine's? Maybe they can deliver some kind of toxin to the unwary? Just thinking out loud.

Yep, Cynthia, I carry some long-nosed pliers in my tackle box. Sometimes those hooks play hard to get.
TM

Annette, your brain sure is working today!

TM, ah, a word to the wary is sufficient. ;)

Cynthia

Annette's suggestion that the sculpin is poisonous could work as poison could be the connection with your chipmunk problem.

OK, I'm sold on toxic spines. For an answer.

TM

Just realized I never came back to post my answer - must have lost it when I posted today's question. So, again, for the record:

Sculpin has spines?? and is the Spotted Handfish the one that walks from pond to pond?? I seem to remember something about that...

Nancy.

**** for Annette, Bobbie, and TM and
**for Nancy

The sculpin looks a lot like a red or brown-tinged bass, except that the sculpin is much spikier.The sharp fin-tip spines are quite poisonous. The poison will cause a pretty painful and burning kind of feeling. Some sculpin wounds have really needed to have medical attention. The advice is to get help if someone gets stung and then feels dizzy or has some trouble breathing. iIf you do get stung, pour some hot (not boiling or scalding)water over the injury. The heat of the water may neutralize the poison.

The spotted handfish moves slowly. Since he doesn't like to swim much, he kind of walks on his pectoral and pelvic fins. The pectoral fins seem to work like little legs and look kind of like human hands. This fish has a white or a creamy colored body. On top of that it is covered in many small orange, brown or black spots. The spotted handfish is a bottom dwelling fish, which means it likes the bottom of the sea or lake. It lives in all types of silt and sand.

Happy fishing, TM! Have a wonderful week everyone. Thanks for playing.

Cynthia

Thanks for the stars, Cynthia. Wouldn't have gotten any without your generous clues and Annette's postings. I had fish for dinner last night, walleye, not sculpin or spotted handfish.

Thanks for the stars and the interesting questions, Cynthia. Good fun.

I hope to get some fall fishing in yet, but it's going to have to warm up, dry out, and calm down a bunch for that to happen.

TM

Nancy, I think you are thinking of the snakehead which can crawl from pond to pond. They are in the Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay now thanks to irresponsible people who bought them illegally and then released them when they didn't want them anymore! Also, thanks for worrying when I was late!

Cynthia