Lionfish
Depth: 60 m · Sunlight Zone
The lionfish looks like a fan of red and white stripes, but its long spines are venomous. With them it warns enemies: do not touch me. Slowly it corners its prey and swallows it with a sudden snap.
For scientists
The bold stripes are a warning color (aposematism); the dorsal spines carry venom that causes painful wounds. The lionfish uses its large pectoral fins to herd prey fish into a corner and then sucks them in at lightning speed. In the Caribbean it has become a problem as an introduced species, because it has no natural predators there.
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