Brown Scorpionfish
Scorpaena porcus
Special features
As its name suggests, the brown dragon head is actually brown in color.
Appearance
The brown dragon head has a thick, strong build with a large, flattened head at the top. This is covered by frayed skin flaps and is surmounted by two strikingly large eye tentacles.
It is brown to reddish brown. It has a long, continuous dorsal fin that has an indentation in the middle.
Natural enemies
None
Dangerous/Venomous
The brown dragon head has poisonous glands in the spines of its fins and in the thorns on its gill lids.
Sketch
1. Spalte
Pro tips
His favorite place to stay is in shallow water in the shade of rock walls.
This loner is a lurker, which is why you usually see him sitting motionless on rocks covered with algae.
You have to have a sharp eye to find him, because he is very well camouflaged.
However, a diving lamp helps immensely during the search, as it unfortunately cannot camouflage its easily recognizable shadow.
He prefers to eat crabs and crabs that are unlucky enough to cross his path.
But small fish are also on his menu should they make the mistake of swimming within his reach.
Its breeding season is between July and September.
Text: Carolina Leiter, Felician Hosp, Pia Balaka
Pic: Dive Dict
Illustration: Dive Dict
