LIONFISH

When you dive at night, it seems that any fish who are still out and about on the reef are somewhat disoriented, temporarily blinded by torch lights or startled into stillness. But not lionfish. These fish have learnt to take advantage of divers with lights, sneaking up to swallow smaller, bewildered fish whole.

Lionfish are part of the Scorpaenidae family with their closest relatives being scorpionfish and stonefish. These live across all tropical and temperate seas. Their body shape is compressed and marked by ridges and spines. Lionfish grow to as much as fifteen inches long but spreading their pectoral fins can make them look much larger. What marks them though, is how incredibly beautiful they are. Colourful, elegant and graceful, lionfish are one of the most favoured reef residents.

However, they are also creatures with a split personality. Lionfish are able to float fearlessly around the reef because they are one of the most venomous residents there. Their long, slender spines have small venom glands embedded at the base. If the spine is pressed, it triggers a release of venom which is then delivered into whatever pressed on it.

Lionfish only attack when they are harassed in some way. Mostly, their long feathery fins and bristling spines are used as camouflage. Nestled down amongst corals or seagrass they can be incredibly hard to spot and it’s usually only if you disturb one that you realise they are there, no doubt hanging about waiting for a chance to feed on something.

They eat any smaller fish and crustaceans they can catch. Chasing their prey uses a lot of energy so they consume a large amount to compensate for this loss. Still, like all predators, lionfish have an instinctive awareness that causes them to give up the chase if it seems likely to use more energy than it is worth - and this action explains the clever adaptation to working in tandem with divers and their torch beams.

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