Beautiful but Dangerous


The lionfish is beautiful, but dangerous. 
These fish are also known as 'zebrafish', 'firefish' or even 'butterfly cod' and are known for their ornate beauty. They mostly are red with white, black and cream stripes resembling a zebra. Their pectoral fins are large but are soft, fleshy and feathery. Additionally, they have dorsal spiky rays which are venomous. This helps them to kill and capture their prey easier and faster. These fishes are known to be very eye-catching and known for their venomous spikes and special tentacles. These fishes are native to the Indo- Pacific but invasive to the Caribbean and the Atlantic.
Photo by Discover Magazine showing Lionfish sightings

These fishes mainly feed on small fishes, invertebrates and crustaceans. Before lionfish came into the waters, the ecosystems in the ocean had a stable food web with proper feeding relationships, contributing to a stable ecosystem. Unfortunately, lionfish caused a disruption in these food chains as they are voracious predators and fed on smaller fishes which were prey to other animals.
Even though lionfish are seen to be dangerous predators, they can be beneficial as they have many advantages too.

Comments

  1. Keil JoefieldOctober 1, 2018 at 4:49 PM

    I love your blog title.
    Looking forward to viewing the next one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 2, 2018 at 3:43 AM

    Nice. They taste good too :) . Title is catchy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 2, 2018 at 11:54 AM

    Interesting...never knew..

    ReplyDelete
  4. BriannaOctober 22, 2018 at 5:01 PM

    Wow this is so interesting!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownOctober 22, 2018 at 6:06 PM

      Thank you Brianna! Keep reading future posts for more interesting info!

      Delete

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