Scorpionfish

The Scorpionfish family consists of Lionfish, Stonefish, Paper Scorpionfish (Leaf-Fish) and the Scorpionfish itself. They all have poisonous fins on their back and feed on fish and shrimps.

Scorpionfishes are superbly camouflaged, and sometimes is it almost impossible to see them. They wait patiently until a fish swim too close to their mouth and then suddenly open the mouth and suck the victim in. I once saw a Scorpionfish materialize out of “nothing” and swallow a small fish. The mouth is surprisingly large; it resembles a basket.

Scorpionfishes can be found in both deep and shallow water. Therefore is it a good reason for not to walk barefooted on reefs or close to rocks. The Scorpionfish will not move away until you step on them, which will be a very painful experiense. 

Scorpionfishes can be from 8 to 35 cm in length.