The lionfish is one of the most striking-looking creatures on a reef. Long fan-like fins, candy-striped patterns, slow drifting movement. It looks more like a costume than a fish. But behind those beautiful fins hide 18 venomous spines - and lionfish hunt with terrifying efficiency.
They corner small fish in coral nooks with their spread fins like a fan blocking an exit, then strike forward with a sudden gulp. A single lionfish can eat dozens of fish in one feeding.
In their native Pacific and Indian Oceans, lots of larger predators keep them in check. But lionfish have spread to the Caribbean and the U.S. East Coast (probably from aquariums), where nothing local has learned to eat them. They’ve become one of the worst marine invasive species ever - devouring native fish faster than the reefs can regrow.
