Scientific name: Cottus gobio
Statistics: Length: 8-12cm, Weight: 6-12g, Average Lifespan: 3-4 years
Conservation status: Common.
About: A small, strangely shaped fish, the bullhead (also known as the 'Miller's Thumb') has an exceptionally large head, large fins, and a tapering body. Living up to its name, the bullhead has a characteristically large, flattened head and a tapering body.
Scientific name: Phoxinus phoxinus
Statistics: Length: 4-10cm, Weight: 8-16g, Average Lifespan: 2-5 years
Conservation status: Common.
About: The Minnow is a small fish that is found in freshwater streams and rivers and, less frequently, in lakes. A common and diminutive fish, the Minnow can be found in freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes across the country.
Scientific name: Barbatula barbatula
Statistics: Length: 6-10cm, Weight: 3-6g, Average Lifespan: 3-5 years
Conservation status: Common.
About: A small, slender fish, the stone loach can be found feeding on the bottom of clear rivers and streams, often burying itself into the gravel or sand. The stone loach is notoriously hard to spot - not only is it mostly nocturnal, but it is also well camouflaged and can partially bury itself in the riverbed.
Scientific name: Gasterosteus aculaeatus
Statistics: Length: 4-7cm, Weight: 1g, Average Lifespan: 3-5 years
Conservation status: Common.
About: The Three-spined Stickleback is a small fish found in ponds, lakes, ditches, and rivers. A diminutive but aggressive predator, the three-spined stickleback hunts tadpoles and small fish. It is also known for fiercely protecting its nest of eggs until they hatch.
Scientific name: Lampetra fluviatilis
Statistics: Length: up to 50cm, Weight: up to 150g, Average Lifespan: 4-8 years
Conservation status: Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
About: One of the most primitive vertebrates still alive today, the river lamprey is a small, eel-like fish with a toothed, suckermouth. The river lamprey is a primitive, jawless fish, with a round, suckermouth which it uses to attach to other fish to feed from them. Adults live in the sea and return to freshwater to spawn.
