Fish of the Day 61 - I got that stonefish in me

I've returned! After a long break, i'm going to start writing these again. Today's fish is the stonefish, which I'm sure some have already heard of!

Stonefish facts:

- Many fish have venom, and the stonefish is no exception. In fact, it is the most venomous fish in the world! It stores it's venom in it's spines, and it serves as a defense mechanism for the fish. Although you do not need to worry about a venomous bite from these animals, you still must be careful when you swim in their habitats. They get the name "stonefish" from their appearance, so if you aren't paying attention, you may step on one of it's spines rather than a rock on the sea floor. 

- You may assume that, because they have spines to protect themselves, they are probably pretty slow. After all, do you really need toxic spines if you can quickly swim away? Well, you'd be right, but do not underestimate them. Although the stonefish spends much of it's time blending in with rocks, and it usually swims at a slow pace, it can attack very, very quickly! It can lunge at prey in an astonishing 0.015 seconds, rapidly swallowing it whole. 

- They're no mudskipper, but the stonefish is very good at holding it's breath. It can survive out of water for 24 hours! They are quite slimy, and that slimy film gives them the opportunity to breathe air out of water, sort of like a filter... which might be cheating. I guess they aren't holding their breath... But anyway, I assume they have this ability because they are commonly found in shallow water, so if they find themselves too close to land and low tide comes, they'll be prepared!

- If you know about invasive species (or ever heard me talk about moray eels...) you may be familiar with the lionfish. Unlike the stonefish, these fish are extremely invasive! However, one thing these two animals have in common are their venomous characteristics. Both have spines that can really sting! Is it surprising to learn that the two species are related? (Both are from the family Scorpaenidae!)

- This isn't really a fact, but if you want to see an eel attacking a stonefish, here you go!

So, do you have that stonefish in you? I don't think I do. If you relate to this animal in any way... i think you might be a bit of a prick!

(ALSO, SMALL NOTE ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ENTRY... the fur-bearing trout doesn't exist! It was an april fools entry and I made all of it up!)