Stonefish
Synanceia verrucosa
Special features
He is the king of camouflage in the underwater animal kingdom.
Appearance
His body is clumsy and stocky with a broad head and small, raised eyes. His pectoral fins are remarkably large and unusually fleshy.
His thick, scaleless skin is covered with warty elevations and colored in shades of gray, which allows him to visually become one with his surroundings incomparably well.
Natural enemies
Predatory fish
Dangerous/Venomous
The stings of their poisonous fin rays cause excruciating pain and can end fatally without medical treatment.
Sketch
1. Broad snout
2. Warty elevations
3. Fleshy fins
Pro tips
He often doesn't move for days on end. If a crustacean or a small fish passes too close to its mouth, it can rip it open in just 15 thousandths of a second and the prey is sucked into its mouth by the water suction.
As if it wasn't already camouflaged well enough thanks to its colors and skin surface structure, it sometimes buries an additional half of its body in the sediment.
His poisonous fin rays are only used for defense, so he only sets them up when he feels threatened.
Text: Carolina Leiter
Pic: Felician Hosp
Illustration: Sabine Probst
