![]() Although in the Atlantic, lionfish are often seen moving about during the day, both alone and in small groups. During the day, they sometimes retreat to ledges and crevices among the rocks and corals. They move about by slowly undulating the soft rays of the dorsal and anal fins. Lionfish are active hunters who ambush their prey by using their outstretched, fan-like pectoral fins to slowly pursue and "corner" them.īehavior: Lionfish are thought to be nocturnal hunters, but they have been found with full stomachs during the day in the Atlantic. Lionfish consume over 50 species of fish including some economically and ecologically important species. Lionfish are now one of the top predators in many coral reef environments of the Atlantic. Lionfish have been found in water depths from 1 to 300 feet on hard bottom, mangrove, seagrass, coral, and artificial reefs (like shipwrecks).Įcological Role: Lionfish are slow-moving and conspicuous, so they must rely on their unusualĬoloration and fins to discourage would-be predators from eating them. Habitat: Lionfish are found in mostly all marine habitat types found in warm marine waters of the tropics. The first lionfish was reported in South Florida waters in 1985 with many additional sightings occurring until they were documented as established in the early 2000s. Lionfish are a popular marine ornamental fish and were possibly intentionally released into the Atlantic. Juvenile lionfish have been collected in waters off Long Island, New York, and Bermuda. Non-native Range: Lionfish have been reported along the southeastern United States coast from Florida to North Carolina. There are four main kinds of scales (placoid, cosmoid, cycloid and ctenoid, and ganoid,) and numerous variations of each kind. In this type of scale, the anterior part of each scale is usually overlapped by the posterior portion of the scale in front of it, giving the fish greater flexibility than fishes with other types of scales.
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