There is a lion in nature - the king of beasts. There are also sea ​​lion– inhabitant northern seas... it turns out that lions are also found in the underwater kingdom! What kind of creature is this and what is it called? - you ask. This is a lion fish. Photos of the underwater king and description are in our article.

These animals are also called zebra fish and striped lionfish. They belong to the ray-finned fishes and belong to the order Scorpiformes. The lionfish is part of the scorpionfish family, which includes the genus lionfish.

What are zebra fish? Why are they considered similar to members of the lion family? Let's look at the photo of the lion fish and try to figure it out...

The appearance of an unusual fish. Lion fish photo

The striped lionfish grows up to 40 centimeters in length. The animal weighs approximately 1 kilogram.

The most attractive thing about this inhabitant underwater world- its color. There's so much on her different designs and flowers! The stripes come in red, brown, yellow, and bluish shades. When the fish spreads its fins, from the front it really looks like a lion: its splayed spines, together with its variegated color, resemble lion's mane. The lateral fins may have a grayish tone.

The body of the fish has a slightly laterally flattened shape. The lion fish has a large mouth. A structural feature is the absence of a swim bladder.

Now let's learn more about lionfish spines. These are not just once-hardened growths on the skin. Each such needle contains a gland containing more toxic substance. If the lion fish pricks with its thorn, then the wounded person will not be happy. In addition to sharp thorns, variegated colors also signal danger. It seems to us that the fish is painted for beauty, but in wildlife- this is a warning symbolizing: “Don’t approach, I’m dangerous!”

And the expression of the “face” is exactly royal, arrogant and threatening!

Where does the lion fish live?

IN lately this ray-finned fish has greatly expanded the boundaries of its “domain.” If previously it lived only in the Pacific and Indian oceans, now it has reached the Atlantic. She began to be found near the Caribbean islands, near the coast of Cuba, Haiti and the state of Florida (USA).

Zebra fish lifestyle

Like its land-based namesake, the lion fish is a real predator. This sea beauty has two methods of hunting: passive and active. When a lionfish hunts passively, it camouflages itself environment, in which the coloring of the body helps her, and waits for prey. When an unsuspecting prey swims by, the lion fish instantly grabs it and eats it. Active foraging involves intimidating the prey and swallowing it.

More attractive to zebra fish twilight image life, this fish prefers to spend daylight hours in crevices or underwater caves.

How and what does the lion fish eat? Who is her favorite prey?

The peculiarity of eating food is that the fish swallows its prey not by dismembering it into parts, but directly whole. The basis of its diet is small fish, a variety of shellfish and crabs.

What is known about the reproduction of zebra fish?

These fish spawn during the half-moon week. Eggs are laid every 20 to 40 minutes after the sun sets. Males become aggressive during the spawning period and can attack bathing people.

The caviar is placed in spherical formations, which have a diameter of about 5 centimeters. This “ball” contains from 2 to 15 thousand eggs! Subsequently, these spherical clusters disintegrate, and the eggs begin to swim independently through the water, carrying future fry over vast distances.

An inhabitant of the sea, the lionfish, immediately attracts attention due to its bright color. Despite its name, it cannot fly. The fish got this nickname because of its large pectoral fins, which look a little like wings. Other names for lionfish are zebra fish or lion fish. She got the first because of the wide gray, brown and red stripes located throughout her body, and the second due to her long fins, which make her look like a predatory lion.

The lionfish belongs to the scorpionfish family. The body length reaches 30 cm, and the weight is 1 kg. The color is bright, which makes the lionfish noticeable even on great depth. The main decoration of the lionfish is the long ribbons of the dorsal and pectoral fins, which are what resemble a lion’s mane. These luxurious fins conceal sharp, poisonous needles, which make the lionfish one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the seas.

The lionfish is widespread in the tropical parts of Indian and Pacific Oceans off the coast of China, Japan and Australia. It lives mainly among coral reefs.

The lionfish is a predator and feeds on other fish, which has a negative impact on the coral reef ecosystem. Lionfish destroy species of fish, which in turn feed on algae, and because of this, the eco-balance is disrupted, which leads to the destruction of reefs.

During the day, lionfish are usually inactive. They hide in caves among stones and corals, pressing their bellies tightly to the surface and exposing their spiny and poisonous fins. At dusk they go out hunting. Their main food is crabs, shrimp, shellfish and small fish.

Standing motionless, the lionfish looks like a bunch of colored algae. The fish that decide to explore this bunch suddenly end up in the wide-open mouth of the lionfish.

Lionfish only spawn in warm climates, and spawning can occur every 4 days—females release two gelatinous egg masses of approximately 12,000 to 15,000 eggs each, which can drift for up to 25 days until the fry emerge.

The lionfish has 18 poisonous spines, which are used as a means of defense against predators. Thirteen long, poisonous spines are located along the front dorsal fin, which is located on top of the fish. Two short poisonous spines are located on the pelvic fins (one on each side), which is located closer to the fish's head on the abdomen. Three additional poisonous spines are located along leading edge anal fin, which is located closer to the tail of the fish. The large and feathery pectoral fins and caudal fin do not contain poisonous spines.

You can see how the spines help the lionfish protect itself from other predators (in particular the eel) in the video:

The lionfish is endowed with noticeable coloring for a reason. Thus, she seems to warn: “Do not approach - poisonous fish" Venom glands are located in the grooves of the spiny rays of the first dorsal fin of the lionfish. Very often, novice scuba divers who are interested in beautiful fish, decide to touch or pick it up. Here the person receives a terrible injection with a considerable dose of poison.

Poisoning with lionfish venom is very serious: it is accompanied by convulsions and impaired heart function. It happens that gangrene develops at the puncture site. The pain from one thorn begins to subside only after a couple of hours and is still felt after several days. But you can get deep injections from several thorns at once...

When a person is pricked by several thorns, he experiences sharp pain, from which he loses consciousness or goes into a state of shock. This is especially dangerous at depth, when a person loses control and is unable to rise to the surface on his own. This is why lionfish injections can lead to death.

The lionfish looks like a pretty nice fish, but you should be careful. Lionfish themselves are very passive. That is why they never attack themselves. Most often, through inattention or out of curiosity, a person stumbles upon dangerous thorns. Finally, you should remember: even after the death of the fish, the poison retains its strength for a long time. You won't get hurt if you don't touch this fish at all.

	Length: up to 30 cm Weight: up to 1 kg Habitat: tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans off the coast of China, Japan and Australia.

Lion fish, striped lionfish, zebra fish (Pterois volitans) are the names of the same marine fish that lives in the Pacific and Indian oceans. IN recent years Populations of these fish began to appear in the waters of the Caribbean (Coasts of Cuba, Haiti, Cayman Islands, Florida).

The lionfish belongs to the scorpionfish family (Scorpaenidae). Body length ranges from 30 to 40 cm, weight up to 1 kg, the fish lives near the shore, mainly near corals.

The lion fish is interesting for its coloring and rays, which the fish reveals during danger and hunting. The color of the body and fins is striped, the stripes can be gray, red and brown.

The head of lionfish, relative to the body, is large, slightly flattened on the sides, there are spines on it, and near the mouth there are small leathery outgrowths - tentacles.

The mouth is large, has an oblique cut and velvety teeth in the jaws and on the vomer. The fins have spiny and soft rays. There is one dorsal fin with 12-13 spiny and 9 soft rays, anal fin with 3 spiny and 5 soft rays.

Pectoral fins They have thickenings below, but there are no rays on them. The lion fish lacks a swim bladder. Its bright, variegated color acts as a warning.

For sea ​​creatures this is a clear signal, since the instinct of self-preservation, inherent in them at the genetic level, is triggered. For people, on the contrary, everything bright, colorful and unusual arouses unhealthy interest, which can have sad consequences.

In addition, the color and shape performs the function of camouflage, this allows the fish to quietly fit into the sea landscape, coral reefs and calmly wait for its prey.

Zebra fish are predators and swallow their victims whole. Food includes: small fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish. Lionfish lead a crepuscular lifestyle, hiding in crevices during the day or standing with their bellies upside down near the ceiling of underwater caves.

Can use two types of hunting: passive and active. During active hunting, with the help of its long rays, which are located on the fins, it drives the prey into a trap (a crevice of stones, corals) and swallows it there with lightning speed.

During passive hunting, the fish freezes among the corals, while spreading its fins widely with splayed rays, masquerading as algae. The small fish is unaware of the danger and swims very close, and the lion fish swallows it.

The poisonous glands of the lion fish are located in eighteen needles, which are located on the back, belly and near the tail. Each needle has deep channels where the poisonous glands are located.

The expansion of the habitat of this fish did not please people, since their habitat included such traditional and popular recreation areas as Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the coast of Florida and Miami. And the lion fish poses a danger to humans.

She never attacks first, but if provoked, you can get several injections. Most often, a person himself is to blame for these collisions: while swimming carelessly, he can touch a fish with his foot, which is resting among the corals, or a diver, out of curiosity, tries to catch it.

Poisonous injections received from lionfish are dangerous for humans, as they cause paralysis of the skeletal and respiratory muscles, so a person in the water needs to be helped to get ashore. Medical assistance will be provided on shore.

The injection site is still for a long time will be swollen and painful. Despite the fact that the venom of a lion fish can be fatal to humans, there are no documented cases of death after communication and acquaintance with it.

They reproduce quickly, population growth at favorable conditions great With the emergence and rapid proliferation of lionfish in the Caribbean, scientists fear they could displace or wipe out some native fish species.

Lionfish can be kept in an aquarium, with the minimum aquarium size being 208 litres. Her neighbors in the aquarium can only be large fish and sessile invertebrates, since it can eat small fish.

The aquarium should have secluded places where the fish could hide (rocks, corals, large shells). When keeping zebra fish in an aquarium, water filtration and aeration are necessary.

In a large aquarium, it can form groups, but occasionally, one individual from a group can become aggressive towards members of its own species or other individuals of the genus Pteros. In the beginning, it is recommended to use live grass shrimp or live food to feed them.

Later, you can feed him meat food (frozen), which must include sea fish and crustacean meat. The fish lay eggs in the aquarium, but no offspring have yet been obtained.

Lion fish are poisonous, so it is not recommended to touch them with your hands when cleaning the aquarium.

Video of zebra fish (Pterois volitans)

The coral reefs of the Red Sea are filled to the brim with marine life. Most of them are very colorful, incredibly bright and colorful. Just look at the lion fish, which simply amazes with its shapes and colors. This miracle of nature has other names. She is often called striped lionfish or a fish - a zebra. The secret here is simple, and lies in the original color of her body. On a red background we can see a number of light stripes. Hence the name zebra. Well, the fish is called lionfish because of its fan-shaped fins, which are very similar to wings. It is clear that the fish cannot fly, but it looks very beautiful and elegant.

The lion fish lives not only in the Red Sea. You can meet it in the Indian Ocean, in the area of ​​Cuba and the island of Haiti, in coastal waters China, Australia and Japan. It is also found in the Caribbean islands. The fish got its name “lion” because of its fan-shaped fins, which in the water form a kind of ribbon fan, or mane. The pectoral fins of our beauty are more like wings. They are beautiful and elegant, but not at all harmless. Inside they are poisonous needles, the injection of which can be fatal.

The lionfish reaches 30 centimeters in length and can weigh up to 1.5 kilograms. This is a predator that easily swallows large marine life. The fish is very brightly colored, which does not allow it to remain invisible. But this is not necessary. The bright color is a warning to other predators about its toxicity. The weapon of a fish, as we have already said, is hidden in its pectoral fins. These are 18 poisonous spines that the lionfish uses in case of danger. She does not attack first, and therefore does not pose a particular threat to humans. Of course, if you try to pick it up, you can get an injection, but this is a very rare case. If, however, this happens, you cannot hesitate, and you must immediately contact a medical facility.

Against the backdrop of coral reefs, the lion fish is almost invisible. It lies on the bottom, spreads its ribbon fins, and merges with the surrounding landscape. Hunts at night. It feeds on crabs, fish, shellfish, and shrimp. Having tracked down the prey, the lionfish tries to drive it into a crevice between the corals and deal with it there. It can also lie in wait for the victim, lying on the bottom. At the same time, she smoothly waves her ribbon fins, which are very similar to seaweed. A small fish swims up to them and immediately ends up in the lionfish’s mouth. The victim is swallowed whole.

Leo fish prefers a solitary lifestyle. She outlines her territory, which she strictly guards. Any competitor who finds herself in her domain will be immediately attacked. And if the female is more supportive, then the males are extremely aggressive.

Lion fish reproduce by spawning. The female lays more than 30 thousand eggs, from which larvae hatch after a few days. They feed on plankton. After their body length reaches two centimeters, they switch to normal food.

The lion fish reproduces very actively, and therefore represents real threat for the coral reef ecosystem by eating huge amounts of fish. At the same time, it itself becomes an object of hunting, thanks to its incredibly tasty meat.

Leo Fish: one of the most dangerous inhabitants underwater world in the Lazarevsky Oceanarium " Tropical Amazon»

Lionfish or lion fish(Pterois volitans) – inhabitant depths of the sea, one of the most dangerous for humans sea ​​fish. The lionfish got its name thanks to its beautiful fins that look like the wings of a bird. And if the fish spreads its fins and bristles, then they look like a lush mane of a lion, hence the second name of this type of fish.

Let's find out why these fish, the inhabitants of the aquarium in Lazarevskoye, are amazing and unusual and why meeting them poses a serious danger for humans.

Description of the lion fish and its natural habitat

The lion fish is not large in size - its body length does not exceed thirty centimeters. The color is light - large light stripes run across the beige or red-brown background of the body. The pectoral fins of the fish are large and fan-shaped. The lionfish also has such fins on its back. The lionfish's main weapon is hidden in its fins - thin, incredibly sharp poisonous needles. The prick of such a needle is not only painful, it is deadly even for humans, since lionfish venom can cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

The lionfish arrived at the Lazarevsky Oceanarium “Tropical Amazon” from tropical waters. Fish of this species are found in tropical zones Quiet and Indian Ocean, along the coast of Japan. More recently, the lionfish has inhabited the territories of the Caribbean coral shallows - this happened due to the crash of a private yacht on which an aquarium with lionfish was transported. The fish, once in the sea, quickly multiplied and now pose a fairly serious threat to the ecosystem of the region, since lionfish destroy a significant number of species of rare coral fish.

Behavioral characteristics and interesting facts about the lion fish

The lion fish is a predator that hunts smaller fish. Lionfish leads night image life and prefers to swim out of hiding to hunt about three to two hours before sunset. Lionfish hunt in two ways - using a direct attack on the prey or camouflage. In the second method, the lionfish freezes motionless next to the corals and becomes like sea ​​plant. Small fish, not suspecting a catch, swim up to dangerous predator close, and then she attacks and immediately swallows her prey.

Fans of diving and spearfishing should remember that any contact with a lion fish can be deadly. The pricks from the spines of this fish contain a strong poison that can lead to paralysis of the limbs and a state of shock. And the injection itself is so painful that a person can lose consciousness right under water! The beautiful coloring of the fish is a warning that cannot be ignored for the sake of curiosity and the desire to take a closer look at the amazing fish.