Scorpion Fish, Costa Rica

by annie · Published October 28, 2012 · Updated November 3, 2016

Scorpion Fish in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is host to a variety of different scorpion fish present in its waters. Scorpion fish belong to the family Scorpaenidae. They are reported to be one of the most poisonous fish present in the Pacific Ocean. Just like desert scorpions, the scorpion fish have a ‘sting’ in the rear of their bodies which is coated with viscous mucus. Ordinarily, this mucus wouldn’t mean anything important. But on a scorpion fish, it is believed to be deadly in terms of venomous substances. Unlike other fish with limited members of the family, the school of scorpion fish is very big in contrast. The most common area they inhabit is the Pacific Ocean and waters near Costa Rica. They prefer living in tropical seas and oceans with warmer temperatures. Cabezones are similar fish that some people confuse with the scorpion fish family, but the truth is that cabezones belong to another genus entirely. They have little relation to the scorpion fish in the Pacific Ocean and near Costa Rica.

Another type belonging to the scorpion fish family is the lionfish. The lionfish are termed one of the most beautiful and deadliest creatures in the sea. Most people who want to own fish tanks or aquariums generally want lionfish for their fish collection. There are many other casual or colloquial names given to scorpion fish. Some of these names include “firefish, turkeyfish, dragonfish and stingfish”. Depending on the area they’re living in, they are also assihned adjectives to add to their exotic and exciting names. Usually, scorpion fish have bodies that are compressed with ridges or ‘spines’ on the upper side. The scorpion fish also have different spines sticking out from the sides of their body. The dorsal fins on the scorpion fish contain almost 15 and above spines on them. These spines are long in length, very thin and sharp. They are also placed at some distance from each other. The pectoral fins appear to mature fully before growing 10 – 25 rays on them. The interesting and deadly part of this fish’s anatomy is that it has glands at the base of all these spines that are filled with lethal poison.

A lot of the scorpion fish live in shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean. But the majority of them has been found to live at almost the bottom of the entire ocean. Scuba divers will have to go to a depth of 7200 feet to catch a glimpse of these scorpion fish and observe them in their natural habitat. The diet of the scorpion fish mostly consists of other small fish and crustaceans. The different types of scorpion fish all have their individual methods of catching prey. The scorpionfish will blend in with the background which makes it almost invisible to other fish. That way it can take them by surprise and feed easily. The lionfish takes the opposite approach. It has an aggressive nature and will pounce on its prey as soon as it is spotted.