Two spot goby by Paul Naylor

Two spotted goby

These colourful little fish are a delight for snorkellers or shallow water divers to photograph, rarely being scared off by their presence!

Scientific name

Gobiusculus flavescens

When to see

March - October.

Species information

Statistics

Up to 6cm long.

Conservation status

Common.

Habitats

Marine

About

Different to other gobies who spend a lot of time resting on the seabed or under rocks, two spot gobies are usually found hovering in and amongst seaweed or seagrass. They are often seen in groups hunting for floating food such as plankton. They themselves then become prey for larger fish such as John Dory and young pollack.

How to identify

A small, thin fish, usually a reddish-brown with paler underside. Males have two distinctive black spots, one behind the pectoral fins and one at the base of the tail. Females only have one spot at the base of tail.

Distribution

Common on all coasts around Britain and Ireland.

Did you know?

When breeding, males develop beautiful iridescent blue lines on their fins!

How people can help

Always follow the Seashore Code when rockpooling, be careful to leave everything as you found it - replace any rocks you turn over, put back any crabs or fish and ensure not to scrape anything off its rocky home. If you want to learn more about our rockpool life, Wildlife Trusts around the UK run rockpool safaris and offer Shoresearch training - teaching you to survey your local rocky shore. The data collected is then used to protect our coasts and seas through better management or through the designation of Marine Protected Areas.