 
The Reef Stonefish can be superbly camouflaged, often looking like an encrusted rock or lump of coral. The species is widely distributed throughout tropical, marine waters of the Indo-Pacific. It has stout dorsal fin spines which can inject an extremely poisonous venom which can be fatal to humans.The stonefish is very hard to spot because it usually lies motionless and camouflaged. They are found throughout shallow coastal waters of the northern half of Australia. The Stonefish is the most venomous fish in the world. Their venom is released by any one of 13 dorsal spines when pressure is applied. It can cause severe pain, heart failure and, if untreated, death. They are slow swimmers, but their attacks can be as quick as 0.015 seconds. Although many people suffer their sting due to unintentionally stepping on them, an anti-venom was invented in the late 1950s. The Reef Stonefish eats fishes and crustaceans. It usually waits for prey to swim past, and then strikes with incredible speed. Predators of the Reef Stonefish include sharks and rays. |