Fish
Stonefish
Synanceia verrucosa
The most widespread and dangerously camouflaged of the stonefishes, a warty, immobile lump of venomous reef that is easy to tread on and impossible to spot.
Also known as steenvis
- Typical size
- Attains 35 cm
- Habitat
- Shallow water among coral rubble and reef
The stonefish is a globular, motionless ambush predator whose body is covered in wart-like growths, letting it vanish against coral rubble and reef. Its eyes sit far apart with a deep pit between them, and huge fan-like pectorals help it settle onto the bottom. Everything about it says leave alone: the dorsal spines carry a potent venom.
It reaches about 35 cm and is the most widespread stonefish, ranging from the Red Sea across the tropical Indo-Pacific and south to Durban. It favours shallow water among coral rubble and reef, exactly where a wading or diving foot is likely to find it.