Lionfish

Design

Tobias Biehl, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Since the lionfish is a slow swimmer, it must be an efficient hunter. Its bold colors seen during the day actually act as camouflage during the early evening, which is the best time for hunting. The coloring blends the lionfish into its reef home, thus disguising it from its prey. The lionfish attacks in one swift motion. These attack capabilities were not active in God’s original creation, since all animals were created as vegetarians.

Features

• This unique creature has bright red or golden brown bands across its body.
• It also has long, feather-like pectoral fins and darkly spotted dorsal fins.

Fun Facts

• The lionfish is equipped with up to 18 poisonous spines along its dorsal fin.
• This fish will often spread its feathery pectoral fins and herd smaller fish into a confined space where it can more easily swallow them.
• The lionfish is sometimes called the turkey fish, dragon fish, or scorpion fish.
• It is capable of inflicting extremely painful, and in some cases fatal, wounds.