Bigscale Scorpionfish
Scorpaena scrofa
Special features
The Bigscale Scorpionfish is the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean and is therefore also, unflatteringly, called sea sow.
Appearance
The Bigscale scorpionfish is a gigantic figure with a wide, massive body and large fins.
He has a huge mouth and skin flaps on his chin, which can be very long.
It is red-brown spotted and has a light belly.
The front section of the dorsal fin is heavily serrated.
Natural enemies
None
Dangerous/Venomous
The spines on the fins have venomous glands, so don't touch them.
Sketch
1. Huge mouth
2. Strongly serrated dorsal fin
3. Skin flap
4. Huge fins
Pro tips
This guy likes to hang out on rocks near the coast, often from a depth of 10m.
There he sits and lurks, excellently camouflaged, on rocks covered with algae.
He can change his color from pink to brown, which helps with camouflage.
Younger animals are often found in shallower water of a few meters to 20m and the older they get, the deeper they descend.
He is particularly common when diving to wrecks in deeper areas of the sea.
Text: Carolina Leiter, Felician Hosp
Pic: Dive Dict
Illustration: Dive Dict
