This fish stings. That’s the warning label that should come with the scorpionfish Scorpaenidae. Two Oceans Aquarium Flickr group member Stefan Hurter was lucky to come away from this photo op unscathed.
A recent contender in our Weird, Wild and Wonderful sea-lections, the scorpionfish narrowly lost out to the poison dart frog, the Green Goblin. We don’t think it’s happy about that, so all in its path should be wary.
But scorpionfish are not aggressive; they only attack as a defensive manoeuvre. It has a large, heavily ridged and spined head as well as spines on its back, which are venomous. When threatened, it erects the dorsal spines.
It’s also a master of camouflage. It prefers to remain with other bottom-dwellers, changing its colour to blend in with the surrounding coral and rocks while it waits to prey on crustaceans and smaller fish.
Visit the Two Oceans Aquarium and see if you can spot them in the Oceans of Contrast: Atlantic Ocean Gallery.
Been to the Aquarium lately? We’d love to see what you saw! If you have images that you’d like to share with us, join the Two Oceans Aquarium Flickr group and you could see your picture on our blog!
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