Stonefish
| Class: Fishes: 4
classes |
Diet: Fish |
| Order:
Scorpaeniformes: Scorpionfishes |
| Size:
30 cm (11 3/4 in) |
| Family: No Fish family
information |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name: Synanceia
verrucosa |
Habitat: shallow
water, coral reefs |
| Range:
Indian and Pacific Oceans: Africa and Red Sea to Northern Australia |
 About
20 species of stonefish occur in the Indo-Pacific. All have needlelike
dorsal-fin spines, equipped with venom glands that produce the most deadly
of all fish venoms. Wounds from a stonefish can kill any human unlucky
enough to tread on the spines. This species is typical of its family, with
its rough, scaleless body, large, upward-turning head and protuberant eyes.
As its name suggests, the stonefish's coloring and shape camouflage it
perfectly as it lies half-buried among stones or in rock crevices.
  
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