Meet the Animals

Stone-fish

Quick Facts

Stone-fish

Synanceia verrucosa

  • How Big?

30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 inches)

  • Life Span

5 to 10 years

  • Weight

2.5 KG (5 pounds)

  • Eats

The Reef Stonefish eats fishes and crustacea. It usually waits for prey to swim past, and then strikes with incredible speed.

Overview

Stone-fish

The reef stonefish has evolved many adaptations to help them succeed in the reef bottom. Their skin is rocky and uneven, which helps them hide and remain camouflaged in between rocks and corals.Among these adaptations are the 13 dorsal spines that protect the animal when necessary.
It is the deadliest fish in the sea, with incredibly effective venom[2] which can be lethal to humans.

Where

It is the most widespread species of stonefish, mostly found in shallow waters of the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific.

Growth

This stonefish is usually brown or grey, and it may have areas of yellow, orange or red. This species reaches up to 30–40 centimeters long; a specimen of 51 centimeters has been recorded.The weight can reach 2.5 Kilograms ( 5 pounds

Off Spring

The reef stonefish lives most of its life as a solitary animal, and during mating season only aggregates with the opposite sex for a short time. When a female stonefish has reached sexual maturity, she will lay her unfertilized eggs on the floor of the reef. A male will then swim by and release sperm onto the layer of eggs, fertilizing them. Stonefish eggs are fairly large, with young fish hatching well developed. The mating system of the reef stonefish is promiscuity, as the female will not discriminate between which males can lay their sperm on the egg layer. Sexual dimorphism is apparent in reef stonefish, with females being larger than males

Behaviour

The species is extremely well camouflaged and will not swim away when disturbed, but rather erects its poisonous dorsal fin spines.

Feeds on

The reef stonefish eats mostly small fish, shrimp and other crustaceans. It captures prey by sitting motionless on the reef floor and waiting for animals to swim by. The stonefish will then engulf its prey, doing so at incredible speeds. Some stonefish have been recorded striking their prey in .015 seconds.

You may also like

Previous
Next
Scroll to Top