- [Mark] Oh, wow.
I cannot believe you're about to do this.
- I'm Coyote Peterson,
and I'm about to enter the spike zone,
with the lionfish.
One.
Two.
Here we go.
Three.
Agh! Gah!
Oh, wow, it's gettin' worse, guys.
Ugh.
- [Mark] Okay let's get you home.
(dramatic music)
(mellow music)
- [Mark] Mmm.
It's almost time to head out to sea, how you feelin'?
- Well, you'd think I'd be excited,
which I guess I am, but I'm also out there
looking for my fate,
which is ultimately being stung by a lionfish.
That's our boat.
- [Mark] All right!
- Watch your step coming down here.
Life Aquatic?
All right, we we've got a lot of great space on board here
to set up all of our gear.
- [Mark] We're not diving today,
we're actually gonna free dive.
- Yeah, we are going to be snorkeling to get these lionfish,
we'll be in shallower water.
Now they are located deeper and shallow,
I mean they're all over the place from what I hear, so,
we've got about six hours out on the water
and hopefully in that amount of time
we're gonna come back with a lionfish.
- [Mark] All right.
- [Coyote] Today we are heading off
the coast of Islamorada.
We will be searching for one of these invasive fish
with the ultimate goal of showing you
how to treat the effects of their painful sting,
which is often experienced by both fishermen and divers.
Native to the Indo-Pacific,
these fish were first reported off of
Florida's Atlantic Coast in 1985,
and quickly began to spread up the Eastern Seaboard.
With no natural predators beside humans
the lionfish has become invasive enemy number one.
No one knows for sure how these fish
were introduced to the area,
but their numbers have increased rapidly
over the last 30 years.
So finding one should not be that difficult.
(dramatic music)
All right, guys, well we've made it
to our first dive site.
We're just off of the Florida Keys.
We've got the shore in the background,
and we're not too far out.
We can actually see the bottom of the ocean
just off the back of the boat,
which is perfect for snorkeling.
I'm gonna trade in my adventure cowboy hat
for a mask, a snorkel, and a dive suit.
We're gonnah head down there
and try to catch the notorious lionfish.
This is one of the most invasive species
out here in these waters,
and our captain tells us there is a 100% chance
we're gonna catch one, which means for you guys
I'm definitely going to be stung.
- [Mark] Oh boy!
- Here we go!
All right Mario!
- [Mario] All right, buddy.
See you later.
(dramatic music)
- [Coyote] Positioned just off of a shallow reef
we began to explore the craggy rocks.
The slow moving lionfish
is very distinct with its feathery looking fins
and calm disposition.
As long as we spotted one, catching it should be no problem.
In total we searched for about 30 minutes.
It didn't take long at all because soon enough
we had a lionfish in our sights.
(dramatic music)
Okay we got one.
- [Mark] It came back out, I see it.
- Yep.
- [Mark] It came back out through the coral.
- It's just floating there.
- [Mark] All right, let's try to get it.
(dramatic music)
- [Coyote] This was my moment, time to net the invader.
I held my breath and kicked hard.
Closing in on the fish, I scooped forward,
and after a little finesse of the net, I made the catch.
I did it!
I caught a lionfish.
- [Mark] Woo! Woo!
- [Coyote] Making sure to keep the spines
away from myself and the crew, I swam toward the surface.
- [Mark] We have it!
- [Coyote] What a beauty!
- [Mark] Wow, it was making right for us.
Did you see that?
- [Coyote] Yeah.
- [Mark] Aw man, did you get that?
- That was awesome.
- [Mark] Wow, okay, well stay back,
stay back a little bit from me.
Let's head back to the boat, we got our fish!
- Let's do it!
Woo hoo!
(dramatic music)
- [Mark] There it is, ladies and gentlemen,
the lionfish.
- [Coyote] There it is.
- [Mark] Give me that here, I'll uh...
- [Coyote] Can you bring that up?
Woo, look at that fish.
Beauty too, gorgeous, wow!
- [Mark] There you have it.
Look at those spines.
- I would say that the stage is set
for me to be stung by the lionfish.
Okay, let's get it into this bucket,
and let's get back to shore. (laughs)
In case you were wondering,
this invasive fish will not be released back into the wild,
but instead will be donated to a research group
in South Florida.
- [Coyote] Okay.
- [Mark] I see a tank, we need a fish.
- Here comes the fish.
Now, I'm gonna just scoop it up with this spoon,
and plop him into the aquarium, you ready?
- [Mark] Yep.
- [Coyote] Here he comes, one, two, three, woop!
There you go, buddy!
- [Mark] Wow.
You can see why people keep them in their aquariums.
- [Coyote] Oh, they're absolutely gorgeous.
I mean you can see why it's called a lionfish.
With those pectoral fins all spread out
it almost looks like the mane of a lion.
Now, they're also known as red zebra fish.
As you can see, those red stripes
kinda make it look like a red zebra.
Many different names for this fish,
but one thing and one thing only that we know
is that this is an invasive species here in South Florida,
and they can give you a pretty nasty prick
with those spines.
Now let's look at some of the anatomy of this fish.
Wow.
First of all those dorsal spines that you see
running along the top ridge of the fish
all 13 of those are laced with venom.
The venom on these spines is actually in grooves
that run along the side of the spines,
and you can see those fleshy things
hanging off the side, right?
- [Mark] Yeah, what is that?
- [Coyote] See that?
These are actually sheaths that the spines are in,
so when the fish gets agitated,
those spines come through the fleshy sheaths,
and then the venom is exposed.
So whatever gets spined onto there,
has the venom go into its system.
- [Mark] So those sheaths actually help put venom
on the spines too, right?
- They do, it kinda lubricates it with venom
and then when a spine goes into your hand, well,
that's how the venom enters your body.
Now, there are a couple different methods
that I could use to go about being--
- [Mark] Yeah.
- Spined here.
- [Mark] How are you gonna do this?
This seems really precarious to me.
- Well, the most dangerous thing,
and the thing that would be really unintelligent
would be to actually put my hands in like this
and try to pick up the fish from the side.
Ventral spines are shorter and thicker,
and they will actually put more venom into me
than I care to have put into my body today.
The dorsal spines also will inflict a lot of venom,
but I want to replicate what oftentimes happens to divers
when they run into these fish,
which is getting spined by the dorsal ridge.
So, I'm going to pick the fish up by its jaw,
it's not gonna hurt it in anyway whatsoever.
That dorsal ridge of spines is gonna fan up like that
'cause it's gonna feel threatened, it's out of the water,
and I'm going to wack my hand down on top of the spines
and venom is going to go into my skin.
- [Mark] Well, you've gone through
some stings and some bites.
How are you feeling about
this particular experiment, if you will?
- Well this will be my first marine stinging.
Technically it's not a sting, it's a stabbing,
or a barbing, or a spiking.
I'm a little nervous because I don't know
how my body will react to marine life venom.
We do have an epinephrine pen with us, as always.
We're also back here in civilization
so if anything goes extremely wrong,
if my body were to go into anaphylactic shock
we do have local medical experts on call
ready to receive me if something bad happens.
- [Mark] And you're good to go with this?
- No, I'm sweating.
I'm nervous, my heart is racing.
You can see the fish is completely calm right now,
just there resting on the bottom of the.
- [Mark] Oh! Oh!
- Ooh.
- [Mark] That's how you get it.
- That scared me.
- [Mark] There's water all over your--
- He flicked his tail at me. (laughs)
Yeah, that'll make you jump.
I thought I was gonna get it from the ventral spines.
There are three large spines on the back
that they'll flick your tail and get you with.
He didn't get me there, which is good,
but I think we're gettin' close.
Okay, we are just literally a couple minutes away from
me being stung by the lionfish.
You guys know I get nervous right before I do these things.
Those are some big spines.
I've never been spined by a marine creature before.
I have no idea how my body's going to react to this venom,
which makes me even more nervous.
- [Mark] It is time.
- Go Pro is officially rolling.
Okay, now, I'm gonna pick the fish up
from the front of its jaw,
and then I'm going to drop my hand on top of the spikes.
Now, I may be spined in the process
of getting it out of there.
If that happens I'm just gonna run with the scene, okay?
Depending on how bad it is.
- [Mark] Okay.
- Okay, I don't know what's gonna happen.
I'm actually gonna use the wooden spoon to turn it around.
I wanna hold it with my left hand.
I'm actually gonna position it...
Look at that.
Look at how it's turning the spines into the spoon,
can you see that?
- [Mark] Yeah, it's instinctively positioning the spines--
- [Coyote] It sure is.
- [Mark] To attack its predator.
- [Coyote] Okay I'm gonna try to get it by the mouth.
Ready?
- [Mark] Yep.
Ooh, be careful.
Careful.
- [Coyote] Okay, I've got it.
- [Mark] You have the mouth?
- Got it by the mouth.
There we go.
There it is.
- [Mark] Oh my goodness, we're here at the moment.
- Look at that display of those spines.
Wow.
Okay.
Now, I'm gonna drop my hand down on top of those.
You got a decent shot?
- [Mark] Yeah, can you position the fish
a little more (mumbles)?
- Yeah, let me kinda hold it up like that so you can see it.
- [Mark] Oh wow.
I cannot believe you are about to do this.
Oh, buddy.
- I'm Coyote Peterson and I'm about to enter
the spike zone with the lionfish.
One.
Two.
Here we go.
Three.
Agh! Gah!
Agh! Agh!
- [Mark] You all right?
Did he get you?
- Oh, yeah.
- [Mark] How you feelin' right now?
What's it feel like?
- Agh!
- [Mark] Does it hurt?
- Ooh, pinpricks!
Ooh!
Yep.
- [Mark] Ooh, man.
- It's actually really not that bad.
But it is, keep in mind, a neurotoxin.
It's gonna take a couple minutes for this to set in.
It's not instantaneous like
a wasp, tarantula hawk, or even the bullet ant.
Here's two of the spines went in,
there, there, and I think his body kinda turned.
I got like four spinings.
Agh!
- [Mark] Is it hot?
- Nope, fingers are gettin' a little stiff.
Agh.
Mmm.
Yep, I'm feelin' somethin' now.
(laughs nervously)
Agh!
Mmm.
Agh!
Hold on a second.
Ooh.
- [Mark] The fish is okay!
- Fish looks good.
"That's what you get," he says, "For pickin' me up!"
Agh.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, oh, wow.
Oh, it's kind of comin' in a wave.
Oh, you know what that's indicative of?
- [Mark] Gila monster.
- Gila monster.
- [Mark] Yep.
- Oh, man.
Oh, man.
All right, I'm gonna take this thing off of my wrist.
- [Mark] Feeling any swelling or--
- Yep, I can feel my arm gettin' tight.
And this is actually cuttin' off the circulation.
And what you don't wanna do is cut off the circulation.
Ah, my gosh.
Aw man.
Dude.
Feel my forearm, dude.
That's like instant.
Squeeze under here.
Under there,
- [Mark] Oh yeah.
Jeez, your arm's all...
- Woah, man, yeah.
Ah, it's burning good now.
Agh!
I felt the spikes go in.
Agh!
I though to myself, "Huh, that's kinda like a pinprick!"
A big pin, but a pinprick nonetheless.
I kinda got up and said "It's not that bad."
- [Mark] How long will this last?
- Oh.
It's gonna last until I get my hand in some hot water.
Not boiling hot, I want as hot as I can stand,
because that heat will actually break down the proteins
in the venom and it should dissipate, but oh wow.
Okay, it's gettin' worse, guys.
It's gettin' worse and I'm gettin' dizzy.
- [Mario] Hey, Mark, should we take him
to get the hot water?
- [Mark] Yeah, I think we should probably wrap this up.
- Okay, okay.
No, no, no, no, no.
Gotta get an outtro.
Okay.
Well, as we can see, the sting from the lionfish
is extremely painful.
If you are stung, seek medical attention
as quickly as possible.
You never know how your body is going to react
to venom in a situation like this.
It's an invasive species.
Its' a fish that's very easy to come across
here in the Southern part of Florida
and up and down the East Coast of the United States.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
No, wait, wait.
If you see a lionfish in the wild,
just admire it from a safe distance.
It's the most important thing you could do.
Do not try to capture these fish.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
Okay, I'm gettin' dizzy.
- [Mark] Dude, just sit down a minute, sit down.
- Ugh.
- [Mark] Okay, let's get you home.
- Oh, man, dude, I'm lightheaded, I'm lightheaded.
All right, maybe it is a little worse than I thought.
- [Mark] Remember where you got the keys?
- [Coyote] Getting spiked by a lionfish was pretty bad.
Make sure to stick around and watch the aftermath episode
where I do my best to show you how to treat
a lionfish sting.
And don't forget, subscribe!
So you can join me and the crew
on our next aquatic adventure!