Naked Goby
Gobiosoma bosci
Image by Robert Aguilar, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0
Physical: The Naked Goby can reach up to 3 inches in length. They are usually light brown in color with approximately 8-10 dark horizontal stripes. Males tend to be darker than females.
Habitat: G. bosci range from Rhode Island to Florida and Texas, and is one of the few species of gobies that can tolerate cold waters. They are mainly a brackish water fish, and prefer to live in mud crab tunnels.
Feeding: G. bosci are opportunistic feeders; they primarily feed on shrimp, worms, and other species’ eggs when available. They tend to feed around dawn or dusk.
Breeding: Naked Gobies spawn during the summer. They produce yellow eggs that stick together in clumps and are deposited by the female inside a male’s burrow. Males protect the nest, and eggs hatch after about five days.
