I am brightly coloured and have a pattern of zebra-like stripes over my body. These stripes are usually white and either red, maroon or brown.
Lionfish live on coral reefs, especially in shallow waters, hovering near caves and crevices. They feed at night, stalking and cornering prey with their large fan like fins and then use a lightning fast gulp to swallow it whole. Lionfish eat just about any fish or crustacean they can catch.
Lionfish may be found from Rottnest Island to the tropical north of Western Australia and also around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Lionfish are brightly coloured and have a pattern of zebra-like stripes over their body. These stripes are usually white and either red, maroon or brown. They have 13 venomous dorsal fin spines that can produce painful puncture wounds.
Figure 1. Lionfish have 13 venomous dorsal fin spines.