Today we are going to get away from the Domesticated Wild Facts and head to the seas to learn about a venomous family of fish. Okay, so perhaps some people keep Scorpion Fish in a home aquarium but I would hardly call that being a domesticated pet. Afterall, you probably wouldn’t want to cuddle your pet Scorpion Fish. Heck, you can’t even take it for a walk! Some other names for this family of fish include Firefish, Turkeyfish, Stingfish and Dragonfish. Sure they may not be the cuddliest pet in the world but they definitely have some of the coolest names.
I would hate to be the caterer for the Scorpion Fish family reunion as there are over 200 species in this family. Actually, the caterer would probably make a lot of cash on this event so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. As a result of so many different species, you have a variety of shapes, colours and sizes but there are a few similar characteristics between all of the family members. For example they all have spines or ridges on their head while their dorsal fin generally has 11 to 17 spines. And the best trait of all is the fact that the dorsal, anal and pelvic spines all have a special venom gland at the base.
You can’t have a venomous fish and expect me not to talk about it, so let’s learn a little more about this poison, shall we? Like most other venomous animals the Scorpion Fish utilize this specialized trait to stun their prey before they eat them. As well, they use this skill set to fight off any potential predators. I can just imagine the surprised look on the predators face when they go to bite this wimpy, little fish. Although, you can’t blame the predator for not knowing that the fish is acutally posionous. You know how I am always saying that venomous animals are usually brightly coloured. Well, that isn’t exactly the case for these fish. They actually have pretty decent camouflage to help with surprising their prey. Although, many species do have bright colours concealed that they flash when threatened as a warning to the potential predator. But come on, if you are a good predator and the Scorpion Fish doesn’t see you sneak up on it then they won’t have a chance to flash you (hahah – that sounds wrong!).
I think when I start talking about fish flashing us, that it is a good time to call it a day. I hope you enjoyed today’s fact and I will see you tomorrow for the last fact of the week.
