The buffalo sculpin was first formally described as Aspicottus bison in 1854 by the French zoologist Charles Frédéric Girard with its type locality given as San Francisco.

[3] This species is well-camouflaged and has a mottled pattern, which varies from pink and green to brown in colour, and there are dark saddle patches along the back.

[4] This fish species occurs in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to Monterey Bay, California, USA.

[5] Buffalo Sculpin are predators and prey on a variety of animals including young fishes, mussels, isopods, amphipods, and crabs.

They spawn in the late winter through to early spring, the female laying her eggs on rocks or on artificial structures in the lower part of the intertidal zone down as far as 12 m (39 ft) in depth.