Grove Pashley, of L.A. River Kayak Safari, spotted this odd-looking river denizen near Victory Boulevard and wondered what in the heck it was.

“Plecostomus,” replied biologist Sabrina Drill by email, “we’ve spotted them in that area before.”

Aquarium lovers might know this heavily armored bottom feeder as a “janitor fish,” one that comes from the Amazon to clean the algae off your tank. In this case, looks like when he got too big (the species grows to 2 feet), plunk, the river became his new home.

Remember besides sending in pics here for an ID, you can also use the INaturalist app.

See you on the river, Jim Burns