Stonefish is the most ugly and poisonous creature hiding at the bottom of the oceans. For a very extravagant appearance, it is often called a wart. This small fish in length rarely exceeds 20 cm. Her whole body is covered with growths in the form of tubercles and warts. On the head dotted with outgrowths is a huge mouth and small eyes. The body without scales has a brown-brown color with bright spots and stripes. Over a year, a wart changes skin several times. On its dorsal fin are twelve very hard poisonous spines. Since the fish-stone spends most of its life at the bottom, slowly crawling along it, its pectoral fins have acquired a wide base. Poisonous ducts and
not only in the dorsal spines. They also focus on anal and thoracic
fins.
Warts are most commonly found off the coast of the tropical seas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They lead a quiet and very sedentary lifestyle. They live in shallow water in coral reefs, hiding between small cliffs overgrown with mud. They also love lava piles. Being a lucky predator is very important for this fish. Stone or sand is the best shelter for her. She is able to lie in wait for hours and wait for a gaping prey to gape. Burrowing in the ground, a wart often leaves its back outside. If you look at it from above, then it will resemble cobblestone overgrown with algae. That is why it is often compared to stone.
Despite the lazy lifestyle, the stone fish is extremely annoying. At the slightest hint of a threat, she immediately raises the spiky thorns on the dorsal
fin. After all, it is at their base that poison is. These needles are so durable that even shoes cannot protect against them. If you step on or touch the fish
before her, she instantly thrusts them into human flesh. For humans, wart venom is very dangerous. Most often, unexpected encounters with this fish end fatally. But even if a person is lucky - he will survive, then he will almost certainly remain disabled for life. The poison of stone fish - tetrodotoxin - the most dangerous among all known toxins that are endowed with the inhabitants of the deep sea. After penetrating the body’s blood vessels, it destroys red blood cells and affects the central nervous system. Often
rtva does not even have time to realize what happened. The pain shock is so strong that a person simply loses consciousness. If he does not receive timely medical assistance, then death can occur in five hours.
For various peoples, stone fish has many names. The genus of warts includes seven species, and all of them are found in the Red Sea. The most common species is Synanceia verrucosa. This is the largest representative of warts. In length, it can reach 40 cm, and weighs about 2.5 kg. The diet of his diet is made up of small fish and crustaceans, which he swallows with his huge mouth along with water. Smaller species can be found in popular fish markets in the Pacific. There they are a very exquisite and delicious delicacy.
