Lionfish

Photo: 808_Diver · CC BY-NC

Common lionfish are ambush predators that use their ornate pectoral fin display to herd small fish and shrimp against the reef before striking with explosive speed. Their venomous spines deter virtually all predators, giving them near-immunity on native reefs and making them devastating invasives in the Atlantic where natural predators are absent. On Indo-Pacific reefs like The Shipyard their populations are naturally regulated, and they play an important role controlling populations of small reef fish.