After wandering the African continent that last three days looking at birds and antelope-like animals, I am getting a little hot and little sweaty.  I figured this would be a perfect time to go for a swim in the deep blue sea. This might be a refreshing plunge but we have to be careful since the fish we are going after is poisonous.  We are going exploring for the beautiful lionfish which is also known as the dragonfish, scorpionfish and butterfly cod.  Let’s go and learn some more about this fish with many names.

The lionfish can be found in the warm waters of the Central Pacific Ocean and it does its best to warn everything in those waters that it is deadly.  This fish has brightly coloured stripes, long and flamboyant pectoral fins and if that weren’t enough, they are generally cranky.  Nothing about this fish invites you into cuddle it.  If something does get too close to the lionfish then they will feel the wrath of 18 venomous, needle-like dorsal fins.  The lionfish is one of the most poisonous fish found on the ocean floor but luckily, they will only use their spines for self-defense.  So if you leave them alone then they won’t bother you.  They don’t need to use their poison to catch fish simply because they are able to blend in very well and have incredibly fast reflexes.  For these reasons shrimp and other fish don’t generally stand a chance against these guys.

So can these fish hurt humans? Well, if we are unfortunate enough to get hit with their venomous spines then we will feel a very painful sting, usually followed by nausea and breathing problems.  The good news is that this venom is rarely fatal for humans.  So if these fish are so tough, do they have any predators? Surprisingly they do have a few predators including large fish such as grouper, eels and of course humans.  Wait! These fish can really hurt humans so why do we play with them? Well folks, the beautiful design and shape of these fish make them ideal for fish tanks.  I personally wouldn’t want a fish that could sting me 18 times with needle-like fins hanging out in my house but that is just me.