Fish
Lionfish
Pterois miles
A spectacular fan-finned, venomous reef fish - a rare warm-water stray this far south, noted among the unusual visitors.
Also known as firefish, turkeyfish
- Typical size
- Commonly 25-35 cm
- Habitat
- Reef ledges and overhangs (warm-water stray)
- Depth
- Shallows to ~50 m
The lionfish is unmistakable: banded red-and-white, with long fan-like pectoral fins and a crown of venomous dorsal spines. It is an Indian-Ocean reef fish that only occasionally strays this far south, which is why it appears on these lists only among the 'unusual warm-water visitors'.
It hovers near the reef and corners small prey with its spread fins. The spines deliver a very painful sting, so it is admired from a slight distance and never handled casually.