Everything about the Red Lionfish Pterois volitans yells "don't touch, I'm venomous". These reef... The TerraMar Project originally shared: Everything about the Red Lionfish Pterois volitans yells "don't touch, I'm venomous". These reef fish are native only to the Indo-Pacific, and everywhere else in the world they are an introduced species. Red Lionfish are easily recognizable from their vertical black and red stripes, and the up to 18 needle-like dorsal fins. The venomous spines on these animals are purely defensive in their purpose, and though a sting from one can be extremely painful to humans, it will rarely cause death. Red Lionfish hunt for small shrimp and fish in their rocky reef habitat. Red Lionfish population numbers are healthy and their distribution is growing, causing some concern in places like the United States, where the success of this non-indigenous species presents human and environmental dangers. These fish are popular in the aquarium trade, and it is likely that their release from home aquariums may be the cause of their worldwide distribution. Learn more about the incredible marine life in our world's oceans by visiting us at: http://ift.tt/XJinpo Photo: Alexander Vasenin/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)#marinelife #savethesea #oceanconservation #lionfish #poisonous #coralreef #reef #seahope #seachange #seafuture #TerraMar View full size (1597x1198)

via John Currin (JC's Nature) - Google+ Public Posts http://ift.tt/2yCPOEa