Our beloved goosefish has done it again. She's spun a gossamer shroud of eggs that is currently billowing through her exhibit. A million eggs woven together in a single sheet 60 feet long and only a single egg thick. A natural masterpiece!
Goosefish eggs in a veil
Bill Murphy, the aquarist in charge of the cold water exhibits, had been expecting the eggs as the fish usually swells up before the veil arrives. The egg veil arrived Tuesday afternoon in the blink of an eye. (In fact, our aquarists missed her actually laying the eggs! If anyone snapped a pic or video please share on social — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever! We'd love to see them.)
The aquarists can always tell when the goosefish is about to lay another egg veil. Look how fat she was!
She looked much more comfortable after the eggs arrived, sitting flat on the bottom as she usually does.
Without a male in the exhibit, the eggs aren't fertilized, so no baby goosefish. But the veil will remain in the exhibit with her for a couple days. After that it starts to fall apart and the aquarists remove it from the exhibit. Plan a visit soon because this beautiful event (usually) happens only once a year and it's exquisite.
Bill expects Collette (yup, the goosefish has a name) to be pretty hungry over the next couple days after all that work of producing the eggs. Besides admiring the egg veil, don't forget to take a close look at this pretty lady! She has an enormous mouth, a fishing "lure," and intricate skin fringing her body.
Pretty lady
We never tire of the goosefish and her natural masterpiece. In fact, previous egg veils have also been well documented. Take a look back at some of her previous works of art.
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