Turkeyfish.
Butterfly cod. Feather fins. A lionfish (Pterois) by any other name looks just
as lovely. Adorned in bold maroon, brown and white stripes, lionfish drift
through the water by gently waving their fan-like fins. Floating tentacles
frame their faces, making lionfish appear soft and delicate. But beware! These
mysterious beauties come armed with venomous spines,
and they are invading tropical waters around the world.
Fast
fishy facts
Lionfish
hail from the South Pacific and Indian oceans, their habitat stretching from
Australia up to Japan and South Korea. Twelve different lionfish species swim
through this region, feasting on shrimp and smaller fish. Lionfish
corner their prey against reefs and rocks, then strike
suddenly to swallow the prey whole. A voracious species, lionfishes' stomachs
can expand to up to 30 times their normal size after a meal, according to Smithsonian
magazine, leaving the fish plenty of room for seconds.
Lionfish
not only have huge appetites, but also breed with similar gusto. They reproduce
year-round, meaning a mature female can release about 2 million eggs per year,
according to the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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