Monkeyface prickleback

The monkeyface prickleback, also commonly known as the monkeyface eel, is a species of prickleback native to the Pacific coast of North America. Although its shape resembles an eel due to its slender and leg-less body, the monkeyface prickleback does not belong to the order Anguilliformes, which includes true eels.

Monkeyface prickleback is a regional menu item in Northern California and Oregon, sometimes used in poke. It's caught by poke poling, working a baited pole into rocky crevices.

This fish lives along the Pacific coast of North America from southern Oregon to northern Baja California, and is most abundant along the central California coast. It sticks to rocky intertidal areas close to shore, from the upper intertidal down to about 24 m, and holds a small home range.