About
Its body is striped in reddish brown and white, and its huge pectoral fins spread out like wings. Long spines stand apart from one another along the front of its dorsal fin, and a small tentacle sticks up above each eye.
The spines of its dorsal, pelvic and anal fins are venomous, and a sting is very painful. It uses its outspread pectoral fins to corner small fish against the reef, then swallows them whole with its large mouth.
In the Caribbean and along the east coast of the United States, lionfish released by people have spread widely, and they are now a problem as an invasive species that eats native fish.
In Fish Around
It drifts slowly with its spines raised, opening and closing its big pectoral fins.
