The deepwater sculpin lives at the
bottom of deep, cold lakes such as the Great Lakes and some deep
freshwater lakes in Canada. Primarily a carnivorous fish, the
sculpin feeds largely on tiny crustaceans and aquatic insects. In
turn, the sculpin provides food for lake trout and other predatory
fish.
The deepwater sculpin is often considered
a "glacial relic" in Europe and North America because
it is thought that this fish originally lived in arctic waters
and was "pushed" southward in front of advancing glaciers.
When these ice sheets retreated northward about 11,000 years
ago, the sculpin remained in the deep, cold lakes that the glaciers
created.
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