Jeffords, Jeffrey

Lionfish

Pterois

Lionfish (Pterois species, this one is around 7 inches in length) are among the more toxic predators of the reef-- their dorsal fins (top along spine) are hollow barbs capable of injection poisonous venom into a predator unfortunate enough to approach too closely. Typically they assume a fanned-out, fins-erect posture when approached by a potential predator such as a diver, pointing the dorsal fins toward the threat.

About this image

Identification
Pterois
Location

Luzon Island, Philippines

Contributors
Jeffrey N. Jeffords
photographer copyright holder identification
Subjects
Subject Live Animal
Type Photo
Anatomy coloration/patterning aposematic
Anatomy coloration/patterning disruptive coloration (spots/stripes)
Life Stages and Gender adult/sexually mature
Anatomy coloration/patterning cryptic

Conditions of use

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License .

To cite this page: Jeffords, J. 2004. "Lionfish.jpg" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed {%B %d, %Y} at https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/jeffrey_jeffords/fish/Lionfish/

Last updated: 2004-35-14 / Generated: 2025-09-15 02:01

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