Long-term subae lal survival has been anecdotally noted in the staghorn sculpin, Leptocottus armatus. In this study, I quantified this phenomenon physiologically by examining the following parameters: standard metabolic rate and indications of reduced standard metabolic rate during subaerial exposure; capacity for and mechanism(s) of oxygen consumption in air; capacity for anaerobic production of lactate and/or ethanol; and blood pH. The staghorn sculpin appears well-suited for the subaerial exposure it experiences in nature. Mean subaerial survival time was 6 hours which would enable fish to survive intertidal stranding. Staghorns breathe air through well-supported gills and supplement depressed rates of subaerial aerobiosis by anaerobic production of lactic acid. Most remarkably, the staghorn sculpin may also substantially reduce minimal energy expenditure requirements during periods of hypoxia by reducing resting metabolic rate. / Graduation date: 1991