Bart Bear's Blog

This is one of the prettiest fish that I have ever seen, also one of the most dangerous. Fortunately, this one is behind glass at Canberra Aquarium. It is a Butterfly Cod, also known as Lionfish, Fire Cod and Zebra Fish. They live in shallow, warm water, usually hiding in crevices in the rocks and corals. Their coloured stripes camouflage them very well, so they just lurk in wait for smaller fish to come close. Then they quickly spread out their long fins to surround the poor little fish and suck it into their mouth. It all happens very fast. The spines in the fins are very dangerous. They are really sharp and venomous, so if you are stung by them you will be in agony for hours. The Oldies see lots of these guys when they snorkel on the Reef, Lord Howe and Fiji. The first time Dad saw one he was pulling himself down to see under a ledge and his hands went either side of a butterfly cod. Both Dad and the fish got a big fright. Actually Dad in his snorkelling gear is a sight to scare anything, sort of a cross between an elephant seal and Batman.

Labels: Canberra, fish, trips