The deep sea is a very magical and mysterious space, in the minds of many people, the deep sea will hide creatures larger than whales, they may be the giants on the seabed, or they may be unknown monsters, but is this really the case? If you do dive into the deep sea, you'll see creatures like tiny lionfish or giant shrimp. In the case of trenches, for example, there are almost only a few types of creatures in the water below 10,000 meters below sea level, and lionfish are the best of them.
The lionfish is very beautiful and has a very strong temperament like its name, and even the shark does not dare to provoke it casually. It is said that the lionfish once caused panic in the US government, what is going on? What kind of creature is the lionfish? Welcome to follow me right away, and let's move on.
Lionfish, also known as firefish, turkey fish, etc., are isolated by nature and like to live alone, and they mostly live in rocky reefs, coral reefs or shipwrecks near the coast in temperate zones. We can see it in the shallower waters of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and even in the tropical waters of our country. As early as 2008, scientists found traces of lionfish in the 7700 Japanese trench, which is the deepest living lionfish, and the lionfish is also the deepest known habitat on Earth.
The appearance of the lionfish is very beautiful, it has a very eye-catching and bright color, perhaps to protect the beautiful self, it is also a "fish" as its name, in its body there are many things like lion fluff, that is, spikes. Roughly speaking, a lionfish has dozens of spikes all over its body, and these spikes are poisonous, and they can help the lionfish to defend themselves and courtship very well. These thorns can even pierce the stomach of the enemy at a critical moment, allowing the lionfish to stab the enemy while escaping the "tiger's mouth" and deliver venom to it, which is an act of revenge.
Lionfish is very small, generally around 25 to 40 centimeters, but when it preys on other small fish, it can open its mouth wide, open its blood basin like a whale to swallow small fish, and it can eat small fish that are nearly 8 times more than its own weight. Not only that, but the lionfish can also stretch its stomach to nearly 30 times the original volume, so to speak, the lionfish in order to eat can be said to be extremely much! This little guy is not only good at eating, but also has a strong reproductive ability! At the age of one, lionfish begin to mate, and female lionfish can lay tens of thousands of eggs at a time, and then the male lionfish begins to emit sperm, giving birth to baby lionfish. Some female lionfish can spawn all year round and are particularly fertile, which can make their numbers grow explosively. During breeding, there are also some interesting changes in the lionfish, such as the color of the female lionfish will become pale, while the color of the male lionfish will become darker.
Perhaps it is because of the strong reproductive and defensive capabilities that the lionfish has become a thorn in the eyes of American environmentalists? In the United States, it is legal to keep lionfish at home, but it is illegal to release lionfish into the wild. I think that when seven or eight lionfish of unknown origin came to the Atlantic Ocean to cause trouble. Within a few months, the lionfish had become one of the most abundant creatures in the region, one of the strongest invasive species in history. Due to the lack of natural enemies of lionfish in the local sea area itself, coupled with the survival and reproduction ability of lionfish itself, lionfish can be described as overbearing in the United States, eating whatever you want, many small crustaceans and fish are eaten by it almost, including some economic fish species such as snapper and grouper cubs, for this reason, the local government in the United States is no less headache.
Having said that, although the lionfish is a master of biological invasion, nothing can escape the mouth of the same foodie. The meat of the lionfish is so delicious that it can be made into many delicious dishes, and even the sushi we often eat can be used as a material. In the seas where lionfish is abundant, local residents have even made lionfish a must-have dish, cooking it in various ways for travelers to eat. However, you should not easily catch the lionfish, if you are accidentally stabbed by its stinger, you will experience extreme pain, constant sweating, breathing difficulties and even paralysis, and this situation may last for several days. What's even worse is that we have no other treatment than to pull out the stinger and soak the wound in hot water, so it is safe to say, be sure to protect the lionfish when catching it, or go directly to the restaurant to order.
What should we do with the beautiful and vicious lionfish? Do you have any particular insights on this?