The cryptic and incredibly camouflaged spotted scorpionfish, Scorpaena plumieri, is usually only seen after nearly bumping into it.
Like its cousin, the lionfish, it is armed and will make you cry if you blunder into it. A few of its 13 dorsal spines are hollow and connected to a poison-filled sack, which will inject the extremely painful neurotoxin like a hypodermic needle.
A related indo-pacific species, the rockfish, has caused many fatalities. One can tell much about how a fish makes a living by its appearance – this guy looks like a brick, so it is certainly not going anywhere in a hurry.
An upward-facing mouth and top-mounted eyes, coupled with an ability to stay motionless and blend with the reef, makes for a perfect attack. Most of the 25-or-so species in our hemisphere are nocturnal ambush predators.
Tom Byrnes is the owner/operator of Cayman Marine Lab. He acquired his Coast Guard Captain’s Licence when he was a teenager and worked as a commercial fisherman in his youth. He got his first diving certificate in 1974 with the YMCA. He has worked in the local dive industry for more than 35 years and has a PhD in Marine Biology.
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