Lionfish

Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC

The Indian Ocean lionfish is the native range species of the notorious invasive Atlantic lionfish, and at Kinondo individuals hunt openly on the reef slope at dusk, herding small fish into crevices using their elaborate pectoral fins before striking at remarkable speed. Their venomous spines are purely defensive — raised when threatened and entirely avoidable by attentive divers. Unlike in the Atlantic, native Indo-Pacific ecosystems have co-evolved with lionfish predators including large groupers and moray eels that moderate their numbers.