Dive Into Your Imagination

Lionfish are not named because of the ROAR they make, they are called lionfish because their fins look like a lions main, and they are predators that hunt and stalk their prey! They are skilled hunters and will either hide on the reef waiting for an unsuspecting fish to pass by, or they will “herd” fish up on a reef and pick them off one by one, often sucking them up and swallowing them whole!

Lionfish are in the scorpion fish family. They come in many different sizes and different types of fins. All lionfish are known for the shape of their fins and separated spines. Usually they come in reds, browns, oranges, yellow, maroon and white…and sometimes a combination of all of these colors. They have venomous spines, deadly to their prey. Although not deadly to humans, if you brushed a spine or a fin of a lionfish, you might be in some intense pain for a few hours.

Lionfish are beautiful to watch underwater and have found themselves in the aquarium trade. But they grow very well and have been known to eat the other fish in the aquarium. Lionfish are only found in the south pacific, but because of the growing aquarium trade, many people who can not keep them as pets have released them into waters they do not belong, such as Florida. It is really important that we do not introduce species into habitats they do not belong because this can throw off the entire ecosystem.

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