[2] The bonehead sculpin is characterized by its unique head shape, which resembles a blunt "bone" or ridge.

[3] They are distinguished from other species of sculpin by their pigmentation, with the body ranging in shades of brown, gray, and green in a honeycomb pattern.

Their broad head features conspicuous spines and large dorsal eyes with a smooth body.

Commonly found in the intertidal zone to depths of 170 feet,[4] the species has a range extending from the Puget Sound, Washington to the Baja California peninsula.

Their spawning seasons are in spring and winter and their preferred nursery habitats are seawater, polyhaline, and mesohaline.