Sea Things #2: Spotted Scorpionfish

Written by Kimberly Krebs. Sea Things is a new regular feature where a different sea creature will be profiled. Look for it weekly.

I guess it's a matter of opinion whether this fish is ugly or not.  He is the Spotted Scorpionfish, or Scorpaena plumieri.  They scare me a little, and it's both because they're not particularly attractive to look at, and also because they're incredibly poisonous.  These fish are extremely good at camouflage.  So much so that I've sometimes pointed them out to someone and they've had no clue what I was pointing at.  Due to the venom in their spines, it's not a good thing if you can't see them.  In Bonaire at least, they can often be found in the shallows.  For this reason, wear booties when walking in the water, and do a "shuffle step" to scare away any fish that you may be likely to step on.  Scorpionfish often rest on rocks or on a sandy bottom, happily camouflaged and unseen.

This is an incredibly common variety of scorpionfish.  They get to be a maximum of about 14 inches long, and are found in the Atlantic from as far north as Massachusetts to as far south as Brazil.  They can also be found on the shores of the Eastern Atlantic, and all over the Caribbean.  If you are looking for one, they're normally found completely motionless, but blend in very well to their surroundings.  The diver hand signal is to make your index finger into a hook.

The venom that the  Spotted Scorpionfish secrets is not fatal to humans, but does cause severe pain and medical treatment is recommended. 

Kimberly Krebs is the author of the blog Somewhere in the Sun and spouse of Above and Below Photo's Todd Krebs. All photos are copyright Todd Krebs, all rights reserved. Is there a creature that you would like to see featured in Sea Things? If so, send an email to request it!