Lion Fish, Turkey Fish - Venomous No Matter the Name!

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Ranked #3,757 in Animals, #89,280 overall

Not the fastest fish in the sea... but still deadly!

Beautiful but dangerously venomous--the "Turkey Fish" or "Lion Fish" or "Feather Fish" (it's known by many names--depending on where you see one!)... also known to "Bond, James Bond" as "Pterois volitans" (He recognized it in a bad guy's submarine aquarium in the movie "The Spy Who Loved Me")...


I had never seen one of these fish until we moved from New Mexico to the Western Pacific Island of Guam. Once my family discovered the fun of snorkeling on the beautiful coral reefs of the island, we soon had plenty of encounters with these fish. The ones on Guam (at least the smaller ones) are relatively shy and will try to swim away from you if you approach them.


However, I was surprised when I tried snorkeling among the Rock Islands of Palau--the Turkey Fish we encountered there were larger than those I had seen before (perhaps a different variety of the same species) and they were aggressive--they'd actually lean forward and aim their dorsal spines at snorkelers and rush them, acting like they had the intent of impailing the curious onlooker. That experience really creeped me out, and I made a point of being more observant and vigilant about my surroundings when snorkeling there.

Lion Fish Hunting at Night in the Red Sea 

Lion Fish Hunting at Night

Night dive in the Red Sea watching Lion fish hunt by the light of dive torches. www.scubadoo.net

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Decorating with a Lion Fish... to Get those Pointed Remarks! 

Pacific Reef Lionfish Tile Coaster

Colorful designs for fans of tropical freshwater or marine fish such as lionfish and coral reef fishes by artist Carolyn McFann. Mugs, posters, bags, tile boxes, cards, pillows, journals and more.

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Lionfish Calendar Print

Impress your friends, family and co-workers with the beautiful and venomous tropical lionfish.

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Lionfish Mousepad

Impress your friends, family and co-workers with the beautiful and venomous tropical lionfish.

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Beautiful but Dangerous - And Expanding Their Territories! 

Originally, the lionfish family was limited in range to mostly the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea region--namely, the coral reefs around Hawaii, Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, India, Palau, Truk, Guam, Fiji, Thailand, and other countries in that area.


However, these fish have now become established along the eastern coast of the United States--probably because saltwater aquariums might have accidentally washed into the ocean during hurricanes or were flushed into storm drains and thus introducing the fish to the waters around Florida in the early to mid-1990s. These fish have now been sighted all along the Eastern U.S. Coast from Florida to Long Island, New York.

Lion Fish Eating Another Fish - Slow Motion... Talk About "Hoovering"! 

WOW! Lion Fish Eating Live Fish in Slow Motion

This video has captured an amazing display of a Volitans Lion Fish eating. This is one of the fastest moving Marine preditors in the world striking faster that the High Defintion camera can capture

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Lion Fish by the Bay .... eBay, That Is! 

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Hawaiian Turkey Fish Hiding Under Rocks 

Two Hawaiian Turkeyfish AKA Lionfish

Two Turkeyfish at Vertical Awareness, Ni'ihau

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Read Up on the Spiney, Venomous Critters! 

A Close-up of a Lionfish (Genus Pterois) Swimming in the Red Sea Framed Photographic Poster Print by Peter Carsten, 26x20

A Close-up of a Lionfish (Genus Pterois) Swimming in the Red Sea Framed Photographic Poster Print by Peter Carsten, 26x20

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Art Poster Print - Zebra Lionfish - Artist: Paul Brent - Poster Size: 23 X 17 inches

Art Poster Print - Zebra Lionfish - Artist: Paul Brent - Poster Size: 23 X 17 inches

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Art Poster Print - Lionfish Anemones - Artist: Paul Brent - Poster Size: 8 X 15 inches

Art Poster Print - Lionfish Anemones - Artist: Paul Brent - Poster Size: 8 X 15 inches

"Lionfish Anemones" by Paul Brent High q more...0 points

Lionfish, Reef Panorama, New Caledonia Photographic Poster Print by Tobias Bernhard, 36x48

Lionfish, Reef Panorama, New Caledonia Photographic Poster Print by Tobias Bernhard, 36x48

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Lionfish Banks - Fish - Wildlife Decor Art Print - License Plate Tag By Corrie Maritz From Airstrike

Lionfish Banks - Fish - Wildlife Decor Art Print - License Plate Tag By Corrie Maritz From Airstrike

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Lionfish and Other Small Fish Swimming over a Reef of Large Corals Photographic Poster Print by Tim Laman, 40x30

Lionfish and Other Small Fish Swimming over a Reef of Large Corals Photographic Poster Print by Tim Laman, 40x30

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A close-up of a lionfish (genus Pterois) swimming in the Red Sea., Photographic Print by Carsten Peter, 24x18

A close-up of a lionfish (genus Pterois) swimming in the Red Sea., Photographic Print by Carsten Peter, 24x18

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A Close-up of a Lionfish (Genus Pterois) Swimming in the Red Sea, Photographic Print by Peter Carsten, 40x30

A Close-up of a Lionfish (Genus Pterois) Swimming in the Red Sea, Photographic Print by Peter Carsten, 40x30

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Swim on in and Leave a Note! 

italianheart92 wrote...

Wow awesome lens very interesting :)

ReplyPosted June 24, 2009

naturegirl7 wrote...

Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.

ReplyPosted November 30, 2008

Lion Fish Links! Turkey Fish Links! Venomous Fish Links! 

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA's Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research Report on Lionfish Invasion of U.S. Atlantic Coast--
--Non-native Lion Fish have invaded the Eastern Coast of the United States--and they have become so common that they present a major danger to unsuspecting swimmers and divers.