Coming up on Jonathan Bird's Blue World,
Jonathan searches the world for the most venomous fish
in the sea!
Most fish are completely harmless, but there are a few species of extremely venomous fish
that can sting. In many cases this venom so powerful it can actually kill humans. The
most dangerous fish in the world live on Pacific coral reefs. Let's go take a look!
Hi, I'm Jonathan Bird and welcome to my world!
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Heading down, I begin my search for venomous fish. Most are well camouflaged, and hard
to find.
With much assistance from an experienced divemaster, I find a stonefish, well hidden in the reef.
It can change color to match its surroundings. Unless you know exactly where to look, you
will never see a stonefish until it moves. Incidentally, touching a stonefish like this
is dangerous.
The reef has a few dangerous characters, and the stonefish is by far one of the most dangerous.
The expertly camouflaged stonefish is the deadliest fish in the world. Its dorsal spines
contain a highly toxic venom. Its body is shaped like a blob—and it hobbles more than
swims.
Sometimes stonefish bury themselves in the sand. They're ambush predators—holding
perfectly still for hours, waiting for something bite-sized to swim by.
The stonefish has a sting so powerful, it can kill a grown man, and the pain is incredibly
severe.
The stonefish has a slightly less toxic relative called a scorpion fish. It can still sting
humans, but it is rarely fatal. It's just really painful.
A small group of damselfish are hovering near the reef.
But nearby, watching and not moving a muscle, is a scorpion fish. His perfect camouflage
is the result of skin that can change color to match the surroundings.
The only thing that gives him away is the slight movement of his gills as he breathes.
On top of his body, his dorsal fin contains the venomous spines –-the armor to back
up the camouflage.
He is watching the damselfish—who are blissfully unaware of his presence.
Soon a Damselfish comes too close.
Not far away, I find a lionfish hiding in the coral. If those needles all over the fish
look sharp, I can assure you it's because they are. Not only that, each one is like
an independent syringe, ready to inject venom into any animal foolish enough to try to eat
a lionfish. Almost nothing can prey on these fish once they are fully developed.
During the day they generally don't do much. But at night, things change.
A small fish on the sand is blissfully unaware of the predator emerging from the darkness.
Like its namesake, the lionfish pounces on prey and easily consumes its victim in a single
gulp. Small fish don't stand a chance.
Not far away from the reef, an area of rubble and sand provides a habitat for a well-camouflaged
predator.
The Spiny Devilfish is almost invisible if it doesn't move.
But the hunting has not been so good here, so it's off to a better spot.
The Devilfish crawls along the bottom using modified pectoral fin spines as feet.
The Spiny Devilfish sees a potential snack.
Unfortunately a Line-cheek wrasse saw it too.
The Devilfish is not pleased.
Not far away, a scorpion fish is doing its best to look like a rock.
A damselfish barely escapes—but not without injury. The scorpion fish goes hungry...
...but the Spiny Devilfish caught some luck. The injured damselfish has taken a turn for
the worse.
Although the stonefish, scorpion fish and lionfish are the most venomous fish in the
ocean, they actually account for very few injuries to people. The fact is that if you
leave them alone, they'll leave you alone too.
Many more divers are injured by sea urchins, jellyfish and crown-of-thorns sea stars than
by venomous fish...but that's a story for another day.
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