#2084 · 🐟 fish
Rock Gunnel
🇳🇱 Botervis ·Pholis gunnellus
🐟 Fish 📍 in the Netherlands
9 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Frédéric ANDRE · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Stefan · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Patrick Randall · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 4. © Poul Erik Rasmussen · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Eric Burgers · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 6. © Brent Wilson · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 7. © Brent Wilson · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 8. © Joe MacIndewar · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © Stefan · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The rock gunnel or Butterfish( Pholis gunnellus ) is an eel-like fish found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of the North Atlantic. It is one of two species of gunnel native to the Atlantic Ocean, the other being the banded gunnel. The rock gunnel is capable of remaining above the waterline at low tide and breathing air.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 107 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #13 most seen of the fish in NL.
- 2,595 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Rock Gunnel
- Nederlands
- Botervis
- scientific name
- Pholis gunnellus
- class
- Actinopterygii
- order
- Perciformes
- family
- Pholidae
- sightings in NL
- 107
- sightings in Europe
- 888
- sightings worldwide
- 2,595
- GBIF records in NL
- 4,609
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 152974, Wikidata Q640454, GBIF 5210421, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.