Arctic Terns and Lumpsuckers

Watching Arctic Terns pull Lumpsuckers out of the water is a thrill. I love the spray of water around this one and the tiny spot of white which is the Lumpsucker’s eye.

Arctic Tern with Lumpsucker - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Lumpsuckers are bizarre fish which have a ‘sucker’ on their bellies. Their ventral fins are joined to form a pad which helps them attach to surfaces. They can grow to be 30 to 50cm long. This one won’t get that chance.

You can see the ‘pad’ here:

Arctic Tern with Lumpsucker - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

And this is as close as I could get.

Arctic Tern with Lumpsucker - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Isn’t nature amazing?

Next year I plan to get a photograph of the lumpsucker’s face with its big eyes, while held in an Arctic Tern’s bill, but the birds have a journey to the Antarctic and back to complete first. I wish them a safe flight. See you there!

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