- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Superclass: Gnathostomata
- Class: Actinopterygii
- Order: Gasterosteiformes
- Family: Gasterosteidae
- Scientific name: Spinachia spinachia
- Norwegian: tangstikling
Characteristics:
The 14-17 isolated spines on the back, in front of the second dorsal fin, have given names to this fish. The elongated body can reach a length of 20 cm. The color is usually light green with brown blotches.
Habitat:
The fifteenspined stickleback is usually seen in shallow waters, hiding among seaweeds. The male builds nests from vegetation from April to June.
Distribution:
This species is found along the coasts of Europe, from Spain to northern Norway.