The goosefish's masterpiece | Spring 2014

Sharing images of the goosefish's egg veil is something we look forward to all year. And it's that time again. The goosefish's care team arrived Monday morning to find she had laid another veil, as graceful, billowy and ephemeral as ever.

The egg veil as it billows around the exhibit

Just standing by the exhibit you'll hear a variety of exclamations and questions:

I thought that was a length of fabric!
Right? The name "egg veil" is very descriptive.

How many eggs are there?
There are about a million eggs in this sheet. It's only a single egg thick, about a foot wide and nearly 60-feet long.

How did it get tangled up?
The sheets billows and drifts about the exhibit, as it would in the open ocean.

What will they do with all those babies?
The eggs are not fertilized since there is not a male goosefish in the exhibit. The aquarists leave the sheet in the exhibits for a couple days only. It's removed when before it starts breaking apart.

It looks like a jellyfish, I wonder what it feels like.
It actually feels like a sea jelly. It's slippery and gelatinous and stronger than you might think!

Here's a look at the egg veil in the exhibit.

Check out all there is to learn about the goosefish! Here's a look back at some of the other egg veils that have graced this exhibit over the years:

• Aquarist Bill Murphy had his video camera to catch the goosefish laying the egg veil last May.
• Her egg veil even made it into the National Geographic magazine last year!
• This post explains that the egg veils are usually the same size, even if several are laid in one year.
• This video captures the grace and etherial beauty of the egg veil in the exhibit.
• See a close-up picture of the goosefish.
• Find a picture of the egg veil from above.

It's a sign: Signage near the exhibit explains about the egg veil—though visitors are only
able to see one in person once or twice a year.

She always looks smaller and a bit tired after laying her egg veil

You can pick out individual eggs on close inspection of the veil

Macro: The goosefish looks very unusual, but beautiful in her own way. These fringy flaps probably
help goosefish camouflage in the sandy bottom.

And here are a couple posts about the goosefish and other residents of the Northern Waters Gallery:
Watch video of the goosefish herself snatching up a snack—in super slow motion!

• One of the goosefish's neighbor is the octopus. Learn about octopus egg laying in this post.
• Did you know that an octopus enjoys playtime?
• On the sunny end of the Northern Waters Gallery you'll find the shorebirds, with new additions!
• Look beyond the dinner plate. Get to know New England's favorite crustacean—the lobster!
• Meet some of the lesser-known sharks and rays at the Aquarium.