Inhabitants underwater world are amazingly beautiful. A clear confirmation of this are lionfish. But they are not only beautiful, but also very dangerous. Several injections inflicted by their poisonous needles located on the fins lead to paralysis of the skeletal and respiratory muscles. If a person stung by a lionfish is not helped to get to shore in time, he will drown.
In their defense, I will say that these fish never attack first, but if you disturb their peace, the offender will be severely punished.
Most often, such collisions occur due to the fault of the person himself. An inattentive swimmer can accidentally touch her with his foot when she is resting peacefully among the stones or corals, and curious divers have no reason to pull their hands towards sea creatures, even if they are very beautiful.
In fact, it is a rather cute and cute creature, about 30 centimeters in length. On simple fish she doesn't look very similar. Large pectoral and dorsal fins with long ribbons give it a special nobility and sophistication of its image. But it is this beauty that is the most dangerous weapon.
These luxurious fan-shaped fins conceal sharp needles with poisonous glands. One light injection and a person’s health sharply deteriorates; if several injections follow, then outside help is required, otherwise the person may simply not be able to swim to the shore on his own.
The striped lionfish has several names: zebra fish, lion fish, zebra lionfish. And they all have their place. It is compared to a zebra because of its striped coloring, consisting of gray, red and brown stripes; with a lion - because of the long fan-like fins, which give the fish the appearance of a kind of “mane”. It was nicknamed lionfish because of its large pectoral fins that resemble wings.
Its bright color acts as a warning - “Danger to life - do not approach!” For some reason, marine life understands this, but people do not always. In addition, it also performs a camouflage function, which allows the fish to quietly fit into the landscape of coral reefs and calmly wait for its prey.
Lionfish are ruthless predators. They prey on smaller fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish. There are 2 hunting options. The first is when a fish, with the help of its long fins, drives the fish into a trap, for example, a narrow crevice between corals, where it swallows it with incredible speed.
The second is when she loosens all her “decorations” and freezes in a motionless pose. Against the backdrop of bright corals, it looks like colored algae, which is why small fish calmly swim so close to it.
If you want to try your luck, you can safely go for a swim on the Red Sea coast or visit the tropical waters off the coast of China, Japan and Australia. This is where you can meet this amazing fish closer (if anyone has such a desire).
Not so long ago, literally 16-17 years ago, our beauty settled in another place that was not typical for her before - in the Caribbean Sea. To date, they have already spread off the coasts of Haiti, Cuba, Florida and the Cayman Islands.
Tourists vacationing at these resorts do not like this neighborhood. Yes and aquatic inhabitants it’s not easy, since the lionfish is famous for its gluttony (it is capable of swallowing smaller fish whole, including its relatives). But sometimes she herself acts as a tasty and, apparently, safe lunch for more large fish.
The poisonous glands of the lionfish are located in 18 needles located on the back, belly and closer to the tail. Each needle contains deep channels in which poisonous glands are located. In principle, the amount of poison from a single needle injection does not pose a particular threat to life.
The injection site will be very painful, gangrene may form, convulsions and disturbances in heart activity may occur, but this will not lead to death. But if several needles have penetrated into the body and, moreover, deeply, then there is an urgent need to take emergency measures for the salvation of man.
Although the zebra fish's venom may represent mortal danger, documented cases with fatal After meeting her, it has not yet been discovered.
This is how cute lionfish are in childhood :)
There is a lion in nature - the king of beasts. There are also sea lion– inhabitant northern seas... it turns out that lions are also found in underwater kingdom! What kind of creature is this and what is it called? - you ask. This is a lion fish. Photos of the underwater king and description are in our article.
These animals are also called zebra fish and striped lionfish. They belong to the ray-finned fishes and belong to the order Scorpiformes. The lionfish is part of the scorpionfish family, which includes the genus lionfish.
What are zebra fish? Why are they considered similar to members of the lion family? Let's look at the photo of the lion fish and try to figure it out...
The appearance of an unusual fish. Lion fish photo
The striped lionfish grows up to 40 centimeters in length. The animal weighs approximately 1 kilogram.
The most attractive thing about this inhabitant of the underwater world is its color. There's so much on her different designs and flowers! The stripes come in red, brown, yellow, and bluish shades. When the fish spreads its fins, from the front it really looks like a lion: its splayed spines, together with its variegated color, resemble lion's mane. The lateral fins may have a grayish tone.
The body of the fish has a slightly laterally flattened shape. The lion fish has a large mouth. A structural feature is the absence of a swim bladder.
Now let's learn more about lionfish spines. These are not just once-hardened growths on the skin. Each such needle contains a gland containing more toxic substance. If the lion fish pricks with its thorn, then the wounded person will not be happy. In addition to sharp thorns, variegated colors also signal danger. It seems to us that the fish is painted for beauty, but in wildlife- this is a warning symbolizing: “Don’t approach, I’m dangerous!”
And the expression of the “face” is exactly royal, arrogant and threatening! Where does the lion fish live?
IN Lately this ray-finned fish has greatly expanded the boundaries of its “domain.” If previously she lived only in the Quiet and Indian Oceans, then now it has reached the Atlantic. She began to be found near the Caribbean islands, near the coast of Cuba, Haiti and the state of Florida (USA).
Zebra fish lifestyle
Like its land-based namesake, the lion fish is a real predator. This sea beauty has two methods of hunting: passive and active. When a lionfish hunts passively, it camouflages itself environment, in which the coloring of the body helps her, and waits for prey. When an unsuspecting prey swims by, the lion fish instantly grabs it and eats it. Active foraging involves intimidating the prey and swallowing it.
For zebra fish, the twilight lifestyle is more attractive; this fish prefers to spend daylight hours in crevices or underwater caves.
How and what does the lion fish eat? Who is her favorite prey?
The peculiarity of eating food is that the fish swallows its prey not by dismembering it into parts, but directly whole. The basis of its diet is small fish, a variety of shellfish and crabs.
What is known about the reproduction of zebra fish?
These fish spawn during the half-moon week. Eggs are laid every 20 to 40 minutes after the sun sets. Males become aggressive during the spawning period and can attack bathing people.
The caviar is placed in spherical formations, which have a diameter of about 5 centimeters. This “ball” contains from 2 to 15 thousand eggs! Subsequently, these spherical clusters disintegrate, and the eggs begin to swim independently through the water, carrying future fry over vast distances.
The lionfish is often called one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the sea. This fish has long attracted the attention of divers and breeding enthusiasts. sea fish. But in both cases with this inhabitant depths of the sea need to be careful. Despite its visual appeal, the fish has dangerous needles - they are very sharp and poisonous.
This fish has outgrowths Appearance and habitat
The fish is called not only lionfish, zebra fish or lion fish - this is the name by which it is known to many. Her pectoral fins very long, reminiscent of wings or a lion's mane. And the striped color of gray and red-brown shades served as a reason to compare it with a zebra. The fish belongs to the Scorpionidae family. The length is thirty centimeters; specimens over fifty centimeters are less common. The average weight is a kilogram. The scales are smooth, rounded in shape. The head is quite large, with outgrowths located on it.
Mouth with an oblique slit, large. Color usually varies depending on habitat. The brown shade can be dark or light. If the fish lives close to the shore, then there will be more dark tones. But regardless of color, you can always see stripes on the body.
The structure of the needles is interesting - grooves run along their length, they are quite deep. It is in them that the poisonous glands, covered with a thin layer of skin, are concentrated.
In this video you will learn more about this fish:
The lionfish lives in Indian and Pacific Ocean. But recently its population has begun to be found on the coasts of Haiti, Cuba, and Florida. They are most often found among reefs.
Lifestyle
The fish rarely moves during the day. In daylight, she prefers to hide among stones and corals. They press their bellies to the sand, and spread their spiny fins to the sides - this is how they protect themselves. At dusk, the lionfish goes out to hunt. It is not difficult for her to swallow a fish, the length of which is up to twenty centimeters. The lionfish is a predator that hunts crustaceans and small fish. She resorts to two methods of obtaining food:
- Active. Drives the victim into a narrow cave and immediately eats it.
- Passive. It freezes in one position, straightening its rays and fins. Small fish swim up to a beautiful “bush” and find themselves eaten.
The lifespan is approximately ten years both in nature and in an aquarium.
Dangerous needles
The rays of the anal, pectoral and dorsal fin of the lionfish are dangerous due to the presence of poison in them. Of course, you don’t have to fear for your life when pricked with such a needle - the amount of poison is not enough to kill a person. But after the injection, a person may begin to experience pain and lose consciousness, this is very dangerous for drivers.
Then the pain subsides. The injection site may become slightly swollen and numb. If you receive a large dose of poison, convulsions may occur, paralysis of the respiratory muscles, disruption of the heart. You should not touch the needles of a fish, even if it is already dead, since the poison continues to act even after its death.
If a person is pricked by the rays of a lionfish, then he immediately needs to swim ashore and hold the affected area of the body in water (45 degrees). You can heat the skin with a hairdryer - due to this, toxic proteins will be denatured and toxins will stop spreading through the tissues.
Despite the danger from lionfish needles, she never attacks a person - she is simply not interested in him. The predator defends itself only at the moment of danger. He never backs down from a potential opponent. The lionfish repels attacks, turns its back to the enemy, trying to position its main weapon so that the enemy comes across the needles.
Over time, a person develops immunity to this poison. With the second injection the pain will be less pronounced and so on. But still, it’s better not to take risks and try to avoid contact with lionfish needles.
Aquarium for keeping
Lionfish can already be found in many home aquariums and pet stores. But you need to follow certain care rules so that the fish lives in comfortable conditions and did not pose a danger to its owner.
Don't forget to prepare your aquarium
First of all, you need to prepare an aquarium with decorations for her. To do this, follow the following rules:
- The tank should hold 450 liters - no less.
- The lionfish will consume small neighboring fish as food, so only large individuals or sessile invertebrates can be housed with it.
- The aquarium will be equipped fluorescent lamp, special filters. They don't like too bright lighting.
- The presence of algae is required so that the lion fish can hide in it. Decorations include stones, caves, large shells, and corals.
- Every week you need to change 20% of the water in the aquarium with new water. Optimal temperature is 25 degrees, hardness level - 8.
- A powerful skimmer is used to move the water, but several areas are left with a weak current, since lionfish have a large windage of fins.
- It is better to choose a species aquarium so that you can always watch your “pet”.
Proper nutrition
For stable growth and development, a balanced menu is required. It usually includes small fish and crustaceans. Lionfish usually want to eat in the evening and at night, so they are rarely fed during the day.
Important components of the menu are freshwater crayfish, cardinals, and guppies. But you shouldn’t feed her goldfish - this will provoke the development of vitamin deficiency.
Zebra fish loves to hunt for live food, but can also be eaten frozen. If you plan to feed the fish such food, then you need to create a turbulence zone in the aquarium - a piece of food falls into it, and the lionfish gets the impression that it is moving.
The fish eats up to ten medium-sized specimens per meal, so it is enough to feed it three times a week. You should not overfeed - the liver will become fat and stop functioning. Lion fish can kill themselves with their good appetite.
This fish needs live food
When feeding, it is important to avoid contact with poisonous rays. To do this, make sure that the fish is away from the feed hole. She may get angry and try to attack your hand.
Lionfish Reproduction
Lionfish live well in pairs and groups. But for a large number of such individuals at home, you need to buy a very large aquarium. If you plan to breed this species sea creatures, then you should start with the main thing - to understand where the female is and where the male is.
Belonging to a specific sex is determined only a year after the birth of the fish - that’s when the maturation period begins. Males are more massive, longer than females by a couple of centimeters. They have a protruding forehead and a spot near the anal fin. orange color, but females do not have it.
There are some nuances during the spawning period
Mating occurs every night during the week of the semilunar cycle. Males during this period are distinguished by their aggression, so they must be fed with extreme caution. After spawning, females begin to lay eggs in two batches. Each is enclosed in a mucous membrane, it is called the matrix or, simply, eggs. The matrix has the shape of a ball with a diameter of five centimeters. It holds up to two thousand eggs, but there are also cases when their number reaches twenty thousand.
The mucous sac floats to the surface of the water and ruptures, releasing great amount caviar.
It is very difficult to mate lionfish in an aquarium; they are used to doing it in natural conditions, so it may take several attempts until the long-awaited caviar appears.
Lionfish are very beautiful, they are so interesting and diverse that we can talk about them endlessly. But they are also very dangerous inhabitants of the underwater depths. Although, if you take precautions and provide them with the required conditions, then marine exotics will delight their owners with an interesting appearance and an active lifestyle in the aquarium.
Famous for its wide variety of fish, shellfish and other marine life. It is for this reason that people like to go diving at resorts. This is where the lionfish lives - a fish that has an expressive appearance. Despite all its beauty, its thorns are very poisonous, so not only divers, but also swimmers should be careful. Just a few years ago there were no zebra fish in Caribbean, it lived only in the Pacific and Indian oceans.
General information about fish
As noted above, this creature is considered very beautiful, but at the same time it is a rather dangerous individual of the scorpionfish family. It should be noted that this fish has several popular names, such as striped lionfish. Since the habitat is usually limited coastal zone and in places where there is a lot of coral, tourists need to be careful, because if you step on it with your foot, you are 100% likely to receive a portion of poison. Adults reach 30-40 centimeters in length, and weight, as a rule, does not exceed 1 kilogram. The color is the most interesting thing about this individual. The rays, which open only during hunting or danger, can be different color: brown, gray and even red. This seemingly harmless fish has a head with spikes, and near its mouth there are tentacles similar to those of a catfish.
Lionfish: photos and features
It’s safe to say that among all the other inhabitants of the oceans and seas, you will recognize this one right away. This is due to the fact that the fish has a number of characteristics. For example, the absence of rays on the pectoral fins, as well as a large oblique mouth with teeth. Please note that the bright coloring of this scorpionfish indicates that you should not get too close and serves as a warning sign. But if they understand such signals, then the person immediately looks for an underwater camera and gets closer to high-quality photo. Believe me, it is better to find photos that someone has taken before than to risk your health to see what a lionfish is like. The fish, of course, does not attack first, especially those larger than it, but it will definitely defend itself. Its peculiarity is that the coloring allows you to camouflage yourself anywhere, be it algae or something else.
Is lionfish dangerous for humans or not?
Let's not delay for long and frankly say - yes. There were even fatal cases, and all this was due to carelessness and excessive curiosity. As noted a little above, this fish has a large number of rays. Some of them are soft and not dangerous, while others are hard. Inside there are deep channels through which the poison flows. The more injections you receive, the worse the consequences. This poison always causes paralysis of the respiratory and skeletal muscles, and since the swimmer or diver is supposedly under water, he can easily drown. Therefore, the victim needs to call for help as quickly as possible and get out of the water. Small swelling will form at the injection site, and the wound will hurt for quite a long time.
Habitat expansion
At favorable conditions the fish develops quite quickly, which causes concern. For example, for last years lionfish has appeared in popular Florida, Haiti, etc. First of all, it is dangerous for amateurs sea holiday, since it can easily be damaged by stepping on where the fish is resting. But that’s not all. Since under favorable conditions the lionfish reproduces very quickly and is a predatory individual, it poses a danger to other marine inhabitants, in particular smaller ones. Most likely, scientists will soon take some measures to reduce the lion fish population.
A little about keeping in an aquarium
Recently, keeping such fish in captivity has become extremely popular. No, no, this is not done for experimental purposes, people simply buy lionfish and keep it in an aquarium. Basically, this is due to her attractive and exotic appearance. It is necessary to create optimal conditions for keeping such an individual as the lionfish. The fish in the aquarium should feel comfortable, for this you need to know a few important points. Firstly, the volume of the aquarium should not be less than 200 liters. In addition, it is necessary to take care of filtration and aeration. For this, a special compressor is purchased. Since the lionfish is poisonous, it simply loves to camouflage itself and wait for its prey. In order not to spoil the feeling of realism, take care to install large shells, driftwood, corals and other shelters. As for food, a small grass shrimp or something like that would be a good place to start. When the fish grows a little, it is necessary to give it food containing meat or fish. It could even be store-bought frozen minced meat.
Passive and active hunting
Most The lionfish spends its free time resting with its belly up, not far from air pockets or caves. Twilight activity suggests that this individual hunts mainly in the evenings. The fish determines for itself exactly how to get food this time. If this is a passive hunt, then the lionfish spreads its fins widely and camouflages itself in corals or algae. Unwary prey gets too close to the predator and ends up in its belly in a split second. By the way, the lionfish swallows its prey whole, without always using poisonous rays. More often they are used when the fish senses danger. As for active hunting, in this case the lionfish practically does not use its camouflage. She chases her prey until she drives her into a trap. There she quickly neutralizes it and eats it. By the way, often the lion fish itself becomes prey, even though it is poisonous. Some more large inhabitants They eat lionfish without any problems for their health.
Conclusion
As you can see, the lion fish is very interesting and beautiful, but you need to be extremely careful. For example, if there is a lionfish in the aquarium and you are about to change the water, then do not put your hands in there, as you may get an injection. Even if the dose is small, you will get a lot of unpleasant sensations. You can’t buy lionfish everywhere today, but you can’t call it in short supply either. In large specialized stores it is sold in a wide range. These are different colors and sizes. By the way, before today It was not possible to breed this fish in captivity for reproduction, so if you are making a purchase for this purpose, you can leave this idea. That’s basically all that can be said about why lionfish are dangerous and what kind of aquarium is needed for it. It is recommended to close the aquarium with a special lid, since if the fish jumps out, the cat may eat it, and it is quite possible that you yourself will step on it and pierce your leg. So you and I figured out what a lionfish is. The fish is dangerous to humans, so be careful.
The zebra lionfish, or zebra fish, or striped lionfish (lat. Pterois volitans) is a fish of the scorpionfish family that lives in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
One of the most prominent representatives fauna of coral reefs.
The lionfish got its nickname for its large pectoral fins, which are so well developed that they big size gives them a resemblance to the wings of birds.
The body of the fish is strewn big amount long sharp and poisonous rays. An injection from such a thorn is extremely painful; it can cause a person to go into painful shock, which is especially dangerous at depth, since the diver simply does not have time to surface to the boat or swim to the shore. IN in rare cases Tissue necrosis may form at the injection site, which leads to gangrene of the stung limb.
The extreme danger of the poisonous rays of the lionfish makes it one of the dangerous inhabitants sea waters. In addition, the fish live for the most part on picturesque coral reefs, which are traditionally favorite place divers diving.
An inexperienced diver will certainly be attacked if he tries to pet a lionfish.
However, the fish is quite passive. She spends most of her time motionless, lying on her belly at the bottom, or crawling into a crevice. Among the bright colors of the coral reef, the lionfish looks like “another” beautiful bush that small fish, shrimp or shellfish are sure to want to explore.
At all coral reef a place as beautiful as it is dangerous.
This predatory fish and go hunting only at night. These fish use their needles to attack their victims. They can easily swallow fish up to two-thirds their own length.
Talk about appearance lionfish can take a long time. The many types of lionfish that live in the world's oceans vary in size and color. In the Caribbean Sea there are individuals growing up to 55 cm. Most fish do not exceed 30 cm. The weight of the fish reaches 1 kg.
All lionfish subspecies are characterized by large pectoral fins. There are long rays on the back. The caudal and anal fins are moved far towards the tail. The coloring resembles the stripes of a zebra, hence the unofficial name of the lionfish - zebra fish.
Lionfish have few enemies on the reef. Only in the stomachs of large groupers were the remains of this fish found. Great danger The zebra fish is represented by people catching it as an aquarium fish.
Lionfish in an aquarium hunts small fish
Lionfish hunt in the dark at night
Scientific classification:
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Subtype: Vertebrates
Class: Ray-finned fish
Squad: Scorpiformes
Family: Scorpionidae
Genus: Lionfish
View: Zebra lionfish (lat. Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758))
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