An Overview

Here's the gist. This is a lionfish.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/

Lionfish, Pterois volitans or Pterois miles, are native to the Indo-Pacific. If you happen to be geographically challenged (like I am), check out this user-friendly map:

http://www.dive-the-world.com/maps-indian-pacific-ocean.php


Although this is where you would normally find these gorgeous fish, it turns out that we can now look a little closer to home, specifically in the Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish are considered an invasive species to these bodies of water, meaning that they didn't originate there and are potentially harmful to that environment, not to mention that they are also venomous. More on that later...