Stonefish

• GeneralThe most venomous fish in the world; it disguises itself as an algae-covered rock and waits motionless for its prey.
• defensaIt is one of the most venomous fish known, and its camouflage is so effective that it is all but indistinguishable from an algae-covered rock.
• Its thirteen dorsal spines are connected to venom glands and work by pressure: they pierce and discharge on their own when someone steps on them, without the fish having to attack.
• There is a specific antivenom, and the recommended first aid is to immerse the area in very hot water, because the toxins break down with heat.
• It can survive for up to twenty-four hours out of water, which multiplies the risk of treading on it on the shore after low tide.
• It is the most venomous fish known. The venom sits in thirteen erectile dorsal spines, each with two sacs, and is injected by pressure when something steps on or squeezes the animal: it is not an attack but a passive defence.
• It is not a fish that bites or gives chase: it partially buries itself and waits motionless, camouflaged as an algae-covered stone, sometimes for hours.
• Its strike is among the fastest in the animal kingdom: it engulfs its prey by suction in a matter of milliseconds.
• An antivenom has existed since 1959, developed in Australia, and it is among the most frequently administered in that country.
• The venom is heat-labile: very hot water on the wound degrades it, and that is the recommended first aid while medical attention is sought.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (fish)

Habitat & environment

Coral reefs and shallow sandy bottoms

Sources consulted: FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.); Australian Venom Research Unit; CSL; Lista Roja de la UICN