: any of a superfamily (Cottoidea) of spiny large-headed usually bottom-dwelling often scaleless bony fishes with large fanlike pectoral fins
2
: a scorpion fish (Scorpaena guttata) of the southern California coast caught for food and sport
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As the boat crescendoed over waves, seagulls screamed in chase, and the captain made radar promises over the loudspeaker: bass, bonito and sculpin — or at the very least, mackerel and pelicans.—Jacqueline Carr, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025 The flathead sculpin, commonly known as the blobfish, gained widespread popularity after it was named the world's ugliest animal during the 2013 British Science Festival.—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025 Several green and hawksbill turtles are darting in and out of a vibrant coral cliff with seemingly millions of species, from sculpins to sun coral and everything in between.—Scott Bay, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2024 The sculpin hat, or Wéix’ s’áaxw in Tlingit, had been at the museum since the 1880s.—Rachel Parsons, Scientific American, 29 June 2022 See All Example Sentences for sculpin
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