The Lionfish is also called a zebrafish, firefish, turkeyfish, tastyfish, scorpion volitans, devil fish, or a butterfly-cod. Its spines are venomous, but the fish is not poisonous.
Their native habitat is the Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 2016 a colony was found off the southern coast of Cyprus. They may have travelled through the Suez Canal. Now they are thriving in the Atlantic Ocean along the eastern coast of the United States, in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico where they do not have many natural enemies.
Some theories about the introduction of the species into the US coast involve pet owners who have released these fascinating fish from their home aquariums when they grew too large for their tank. They can grow to 12 inches long.
Another theory is that the 1992 Hurricane Andrew damaged pet stores allowing captive fish to escape. The fish is edible and is served in restaurants. Cooking deactivates the venom and the fish itself is not poisonous unless you have allergies that this may trigger. Divers often spear these fish for food.
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wow – spectacular images! And fascinating info. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, thanks for the comment. I cannot help myself from taking a lot of pictures when I visit a place like this aquarium.
I would love to have an aquarium but with a 2-year old running around, that will have to live on my wish list for a while longer. I had no idea that lionfish were edible. I don’t think I’d want to eat something that I would consider a pet.
What awesome photos. As usually Lia is with me checking out all the fish! She loves visiting Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach.
I absolutely love visiting aquariums.I had no idea lion fish was also called zebra fish .Stunning pics
There is another small fish of the minnow family that is also called a zebra fish. It is popular in home aquariums.
Wow, that is quite a photogenic fish! And, apparently, tasty, too! Great pictures, Doug. I really enjoyed them!