Animals nature lionfish fish. Some nicknames for lionfish include scorpion fish turkey fish and dragon fish. The lionfish also known as the turkeyfish tigerfish dragonfish scorpionfish and butterfly cod is a poisonous spiky fish found in the warmer waters of the western and central pacific ocean. They may live alone for the majority of their lives and will fiercely defend their home ranges from other lionfish and other species of fish. Lionfish have been known to be aggressive toward humans.
Lionfish have distinctive brown or maroon and white stripes or bands covering the head and body. Considered an invasive species the lionfish has a detrimental effect on native fish and crustacean populations. There is speculation that large snapper and some species of trigger fish eat lionfish in their native ranges as well. Nicknames for some other species of lionfish include the feathery the fu manchu the dwarf and the radial.
Because they are so beautiful and cool looking they are very popular aquarium fish. During the day they often retreat to ledges and crevices among the rocks and corals. Animals behavior lionfish scorpaenidae move about by slowly undulating the soft rays of the dorsal and anal fins. Lionfish pterois also spelled lion fish or lion fish also called turkey fish or fire fish any of several species of showy indo pacific fishes of the scorpion fish family scorpaenidae order scorpaeniformes.
The lionfish has become an aquatic invader in the atlantic ocean including the gulf of mexico and caribbean sea. Lionfish are noted for their venomous fin spines which are capable of producing painful though rarely fatal puncture wounds. Pterois volitans red lionfish and pterois miles devil firefish identification. From our faq page natural predators in the indo pacific and red sea that are known to eat lionfish include sharks cornetfish grouper large eels frogfish and other scorpionfish.