Monk Goby

Amazing fact

The monk goby can climb vertical walls.

神奈川県水産技術センター内水面試験場

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An illustration based on the real animal.

A little discovery to share.

The monk goby can climb vertical walls.

Source神奈川県水産技術センター内水面試験場 — 淡水魚類図鑑ボウズハゼ

THE REAL WORLD

The real Monk Goby

Scientific name: Sicyopterus japonicus
Japanese name: ボウズハゼ
Group: Freshwater animals

Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Sicyopterus

Facts about the real animal.

Where the name “Monk Goby” comes from

Its rounded head resembling a Buddhist monk’s is said to be a reason for its Japanese name.

神奈川県水産技術センター内水面試験場

It lives in mountain streams in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

鳥羽水族館 — ボウズハゼ

It feeds on algae growing on stones.

鳥羽水族館 — ボウズハゼ

Its pelvic fins form a kind of sucker.

鳥羽水族館 — ボウズハゼ

How the Monk Goby lives

In early summer, eggs are laid under stones and guarded by males. Newly hatched young head straight down to the sea and spend the winter there. In early spring, the young swim from the sea up into rivers in groups. After entering the river, the young gain color and shrink a little as they settle on the bottom.

大阪府立環境農林水産総合研究所神奈川県水産技術センター内水面試験場

Basic data

Diet: Algae attached to stones
Range: Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea

鳥羽水族館

Where the Monk Goby has been recorded

Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF

Where it livesJapan Asia Rivers and wetlands

Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.

Names around the world

日本語: ボウズハゼ
简体中文: 日本瓢鳍虾虎鱼
繁體中文: 日本瓢鰭鰕虎
한국어: 열동갈문절

Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.

Sources and how we check

鳥羽水族館 — ボウズハゼChecked: 2026-11-04
神奈川県水産技術センター内水面試験場 — 淡水魚類図鑑ボウズハゼChecked: 2026-11-07
大阪府立環境農林水産総合研究所 — ボウズハゼChecked: 2026-11-07

We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.

The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.

The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.

This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.

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