Peculiar sea creature that looks like a spotty golf ball filmed near Vancouver Island after season-long search

Peculiar sea creature that looks like a spotty golf ball filmed near Vancouver Island after season-long search

These strange red animals are hard to find because they hide in rocks and kelp – but that didn't stop this underwater videographer from trying.

Published: April 10, 2025 at 8:08 am

A videographer has shared delightful footage of a tiny lumpsucker he spotted in Canadian waters. 

"This was the ONLY Pacific spiny lumpsucker I was able to find and film these past few weeks,” says underwater videographer Kolin Hansen from Getting Salty. “I spent so many dives scouring the shallows and only managed to find this little fella… Still a handsome and feisty little dude though!”

Hansen shot the charming video of the sweet little lump off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. 

The tiny Pacific spiny lumpsucker was found off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Credit: Kolin Hansen, Getting Salty

Pacific spiny lumpsuckers (Eumicrotremus orbis) are “almost always a challenge to spot as they like to hide amongst rocks and kelp,” he says. These adorable fish look like tiny golf balls with acne all over. The little bumps on their bodies act like protective armour

These odd animals get their name from their modified pelvic fins, which they use to grasp tightly onto rocks, like a suction cup. 

Often measuring under an inch long, these teeny fish "come in a variety of colours from red to yellow and the most rare, green,” says Hansen. "They can live in depths of up to 150 metres, but in the winter months you can find them in waters as shallow as 3m along the coast.”

Image and video credit: Kolin Hansen, Getting Salty

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