Have you ever wondered about all the interesting lionfish facts, but didn’t want to spend hours and hours hunting through google. Well here’s my list of what I think are the most interesting lionfish facts:-
- Lionfish have 18 needle sharp spines that contain venom which includes a protein, a neuromuscular toxin and a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, all used for protection against predators. Read here about the lionfish spines and check out my macro photos.
- Lionfish eat pretty much anything they can get in their mouth, up to 70 different fish, invertebrates and mollusks. Check out my earlier article on What Do Lionfish Eat?
- Native marine creatures do not recognize lionfish as predators and are therefore easy prey.
- Lionfish eat the cleaner fish and shrimp that keep the other reef fish clean and healthy.
- Lionfish eat the algae eaters (eg. parrotfish) that keep the reef free of algae. Remember if the algae builds up and up the corals will die due to a lack of oxygen and sunlight.
- Lionfish stomachs can expand up to 30 times their normal size.
- Some lionfish have been found with as many as 40-60 prey in their expanded stomachs.
- A single lionfish can hoover up about 80% of the marine creatures in its area in just 5 short weeks.
- A lionfish can go up to 3 months or longer without eating and will only lose 10% of its body weight.
- In the Caribbean in particular lionfish breed all year around.
- Lionfish are sexually mature after just one year. I’ve got a great article on Lionfish Reproduction you should read for more details.
- The females are able to produce 2 egg sacks every 4 days and these egg sacks can contain 15,000 (Fifteen THOUSAND) eggs in each egg sack. The result can be 2,000,000 (2 MILLION) eggs per female per year.
- The egg sacks contain a noxious chemical, which means that many more of the eggs actually hatch compared to other fish because eggs that are surrounded by a noxious chemical are much less likely to be eaten, than some other fish eggs which are just released directly into the water.
- They are extremely adaptable living at depths all the way down to 1000 feet. They can also live in mangroves as well as brackish water.
- Lionfish can tolerate water temperatures all the way down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) and all the way up to 35 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius) .
- Lionfish are susceptible to very few parasites compared to other fish, which allows them to spend maximum time hunting and eating.
- Lionfish are super delicious to eat, their white flaky meat is mild, delicate, tender and buttery. Want to know more? Read up on Are Lionfish Safe to Eat?
- Lionfish is also a healthy choice of fish as they are shown to have a higher concentration of heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, they have lower levels of saturated fats and lower levels of heavy metals such as mercury.
- The world record for a lionfish is over 47 centimeters or 19 inches.
- Lionfish feed mainly during dusk and dawn.
- Some lionfish in captivity have lived for over 15 years.
- No human has died from a lionfish sting.
- And finally don’t forget Lionfish are a beautiful fish and it wasn’t their fault they took over the Caribbean and beyond.
That’s my list. Have I missed anything you think is an important or interesting fact?
