Description
The lumpsucker has a rather plump body and a very narrow tail section. The body is covered with bony nubs and his skin is slimy without scales. The parasite Caligus elongatus can often be found attached to this skin. The pectoral fins form a large sucker. By the age of 4-5 years, they become sexually mature. The mating season is between December and March when they migrate to the shallow coastal waters to reproduce. The female will deposit her eggs, after which she will return to deeper waters. The male will guard the nest and provides oxygen to the eggs, by the flapping its fins until they hatch. In summer time you can observe bright green juvenile animals, attached to the weeds with their sucker disk. They can reach an age of about 12 years and feeds on small fish, crustaceans and worms.

Size
Males grow up to 50 cm and females to 70 cm.

Colour
The body is greyish green to blue. Only the males become orange during the mating season.

Habitat
Adults life on the sea floor and they prefer deeper colder waters, they are found in depths up to 400 metres.

Distribution
North Atlantic from Greenland to Maryland and from Iceland till North Portugal.