Lionfish – Information and Characteristics

The Pterions miles is more familiarly known as the lionfish? It is known by this nickname precisely because of its “appearance”: When it opens its fins, you can see the stripes on its body, which, added to how aggressive the species is, has earned this nickname.

The entrance lionfish, it should be noted, is an invasive species. There are more and more species that invade both the terrestrial and marine ecosystems… That being said, surely we don’t even get “faced” or know how to visualize it but if we look at photographs, surely, if we can say that we have seen it on some occasion even though there have been in aquariums or tropical countries. They are fish with a great ability to camouflage them and be able to go unnoticed by their predators. They easily blend in with rocks, stones and the sea floor.

That so many animals proliferate (as can also happen with plants) in some places is not convenient and does not come at all well.

This type of fish is an invasive species that begins to proliferate, for example, in the Mediterranean Sea. This can start to cause a lot of damage to the ecosystem, especially the marine one. On the one hand, it can destroy the natural life of the water and, in turn, cause damage to people (swimmers, divers, bathers…). It is not fatal to humans, but of course it causes serious problems such as respiratory problems, the pain caused by the puncture and the poison, nausea, headaches, confusion, various pains and in more serious cases even paralysis of some limbs. .

Instructions

1. Characteristics of the lionfish, it is easily recognized by its physical characteristics. It has a vertical striped body. In the fins with poisonous spines, which is where they defend themselves from their predators and is obviously their greatest danger?
2. They are always found in tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and also in the Pacific. Even so, it is found in all seas, including arctic waters. In some tropical beaches where it is easier to find them, for example, the Caribbean. So much so that they have plagues of lionfish due to their large numbers.
3. They mimic easily blend in thanks to their stripes and colors.
4. This species, the lionfish, makes noises… did you know that the noise it makes is very similar to the roar of the king of the jungle?
5. These fish, as scientists have verified and that until now, only fishermen in the area commented on it (leading to think that it was only urban legends), is that the fish emit these peculiar noises, when they feel intimidated. When they think they are in danger, that there are predators nearby, that they may be in danger… then they start making these infrequent noises.
6. They are capable of going up to three months without eating any food at all.
7. They basically eat crustaceans, small fish and all kinds of small invertebrates, always of very small sizes.
8. You can eat it, of course. In fact it contains a lot of Omega3. Very good for health and is served in the best restaurants.
9. But it really is, in the trade and as a pet where it is most valued.

What do you need:

How to react in case of a lionfish sting? If you get stung by this fish, you must act quickly because it is very painful and poisonous. But above all, don’t lose your cool. Always serenity. If it has happened while doing some type of aquatic practice and you are accompanied by a monitor or professional, let them know immediately.

Clean the wound well by rinsing. Then remove the thorns that have been stuck but be careful, try to do it with tweezers so that there are no remains or you can break the thorns and cause more injuries. If there is a lot of bleeding, try to stop it.

Once this is done, apply heat. How? Soak the injured area in hot water for an hour. After doing this, make yourself a bandage and if necessary, go to the emergency room or go to the medical center so that they can look at the wound and perform a good examination.

Being pricked by this fish is very painful. As soon as it bites, edema will appear quickly with subcutaneous hemorrhage. The sting will last several hours and its swelling will not disappear until after two or three days. Many people are scared by the discoloration of the skin, believing that it will not go away… peace of mind. It disappears, but it takes several days to do so. Between four and six days.

Those who usually suffer more from their bites / punctures are the divers. As we have already mentioned, except for the pain and discomfort, it does not usually lead to greater evils. As long as you’re not allergic to its toxin. The toxin that inoculates in certain cases produces fever, nausea, vomiting, heart and respiratory problems as well.

Tips

Having said all of the above, we must know that if we do water sports, basically scuba diving, and we want to see the reefs, it is possible that we will find lionfish. Avoid touching them if we want to avoid problems…

These fish can live for many years… in fact, speaking of this species in captivity (when they are living in aquariums) it has been proven that they have a life of fifteen years without problems and only in some cases, they have even lived up to twenty!

They are precious fish, very colorful, they will look beautiful in aquariums but let yourself be advised if you decide to have them, to know what other fish they may be living with (since they are very aggressive) and what type of food you should give them, necessary care and the exact temperature that you should have in your fish tank. Also take into account the years they can live, that they are long-lived…

His stomach can stretch up to thirty times its actual size. Imagine… for that very reason, you can go without eating for several months.