Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Lionfish Pterois volitans
Although the lionfish can inflict a painful sting, it is not dangerous to humans. Its flamboyant coloration of red stripes serves as a warning both to divers and to would-be predators. Also known as the turkeyfish, the lionfish hunts at night using its winglike pectoral fins to trap its prey of fish, shrimp, and crabs against the reef.
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- Order Scorpaeniformes
- Length Up to 15 in (38 cm)
- Weight Not recorded
- Depth 7–180 ft (2–55 m)
- Distribution Tropical waters of eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific
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