Pterois Voltans

Great Essays
Pterois voltans: interesting marine life or causer of potential devastating effects? Invasive species are one of the many issues in the world. Invasive species are commonly thought of as either bugs or plants that are spreading and causing damage to either plants, other foliage, or the other organisms that inhabit that area. Marine life is not typically the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an invasive species. Pterois voltans, commonly referred to as the lionfish, have been added to the invasive species list. Lionfish are very difficult to remove from their newly found home once they are established. Pterois voltans find an abundance of preferred prey in the new area, a lack of predators in the same community and surrounding …show more content…
Lionfish have the ability to produce offspring at high rates where females can lay between ten thousand to forty thousand eggs in one spawning event. Their ability to reproduce in such large numbers contributes to their ability to disperse throughout the reefs without harm and establish the species in more areas (Cote et al. 2013). A juvenile lionfish can be as small as one inch, while an adult can grow up to be eighteen inches. Lionfish are also well at adjusting to living conditions. They can survive shallower or deeper water, and in water with a higher salt concentration or in water that is a little less salty. Lionfish have rays and venomous spines that cover a majority of the fish’s body, giving the lionfish protection and a form of self-defense from may angles. Lionfish exclusively use their spines in self-defense opposed to offensively. A lionfish’s long spines are one of their defining characteristics. A few other defining characteristic include their deep red or brownish color and white stripes, the tentacles located above their eyes and below their mouths, and their enchanting fins. The lionfish’s body makeup is great advantage when they are trying to attract or lure their prey (Rocha et al. …show more content…
Not many marine organisms are able to successfully attack or consume a lionfish. Lionfish have rays and venomous spines that cover a majority of the fish’s body, giving the lionfish protection and a form of self-defense from may angles. This means that the lionfish will be able to out compete any threat that it faces in the new habitat. In attempt to assist in the issue of the Pterois voltans invasion, people are attempting to extract or relocate the lionfish. However, this is a difficult process because the lionfish are still capable of simply going back to the reef if relocated. One solution to the invasion is the hunting of Pterois voltans. Divers go down into the reefs and try to spear the lionfish. This is also difficult because they diver needs to have a clear shot at the lionfish so they don’t do any further damage to the reef. If a lionfish is found but is in an inopportune location, the divers are forced to let that lionfish stay there and try to find another. When a lionfish is in an ideal location, the diver can then use spear to impale the fish and then carefully place it into a container. The divers need to be very careful during this process because the lionfish are still capable of stinging and causing pain to the diver. The lionfish are then often used as a food source to humans (Robertson et al. 2014). Other than this method of extraction, there

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In addition to reptiles, other animals, fungi and plants can also be invasive species, which are species that are not native to a specific location. In Australia, the penguins were being attacked by foxes. The foxes were eating them, and they could not think of anything, but the idea was simple. All you had to do is use sheepdogs to scare the foxes away. With the Burmese Python we could get something that could scare it…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Crayfish Behavior

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages

    At an early age crayfish develop an aggressive behavior (Bovbjerg, R. V. ,1956). As stated in the the introduction, larger crayfish react very little if at all. Larger adults are also less affected by predators ( Stein, R. A., & Magnuson, J. J. ,1976). Another thing that we also failed to see, is if their level of activity indicates if they were truly comfortable, instead of them just lowering their claws. Crayfish raise their chelipeds and fully spread their chelae in response to a predatory threat.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Invasive Species

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Invasive species are a problem both economically and environmentally. One example of an invasive species is the zebra mussel. In this essay you will learn what the zebra mussel is, why we don’t want it in Iowa, and how this invasive species is being controlled. The zebra mussel is a freshwater mollusc.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine aliens arriving to Earth, with the intentions to survive. They take up space and take human food sources. This is essentially what invasive species do here on Earth, causing many problems. A prime example of invasive species are the Europeans coming to the Americas and settling, eventually taking all of the land and resources from the natives. An invasive species is a foreign species that gets transported, whether intentional or not, to a new ecosystem.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Another significant motivation behind why the biological systems in the Florida Keys are in threat is a result of intrusive animal groups. An intrusive species is a "non-local creature that has encroached into a zone and may have genuine hindering impacts on local organisms"(The Lionfish Intrusion). Local species are compelled to rival the intrusive mixed bag for sustenance and living space. Ordinarily the obtrusive species prevails and overwhelms the local structures. Florida has such a friendly atmosphere, to the point that numerous species that are acquainted with the area frequently flourish.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Burmese Python

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lionfish were originally spotted of Florida’s Atlantic coast near Diana Beach back in 1985. The invasion of Lionfish started with only a few fish and it is unknown how they got there, but it was likely to have followed up currents on the Atlantic Coast, to the Bahamas, and into the Gulf. Lionfish are reef fish that are predators, they eat the native fish and reduce their populations having a negative effect on the reef’s habitat. Such as they can eat fish that are algae eaters causing the reef to have way too much algae, or they eat some of the smaller native fish that larger native fish should be eating. When Lionfish reproduce they lay two masses of eggs each with 12,000 to 15,000 eggs each.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sea Jellyfish Adaptations

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Have you ever wondered what adaptations allow deep-sea creatures to survive in extreme environments? There is no simple answer due to the fact that all creatures adapt to their environment in different ways. Although sea creatures live together in the same ocean, the condition in different areas varies. The different characteristics of these four sea creatures make them unique, therefore giving them various ways to adapt to extreme oceanic environments in order to survive. Despite living in different locations of the ocean, zombie worms, giant squids, yeti crabs, and deep-sea jellyfish all share one common trait: they must adapt to their environment to survive.…

    • 1026 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is a generalist that feeds on detritus and vegetation, however it also predates on native fish eggs and aquatic invertebrate (Non native species web site). Its presence alter the community stability…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Red Lionfish is a threat because they have the power to wipe out an entire local reef community due to their aggressiveness, wide range of prey, also with their ability to survive throughout the year in right…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While finding food, the hammerhead shark uses its shape of its head to seek prey, which helps it to find food. That is one of the incredible abilities that animals have, to survive. They are called adaptations. The amazing pelagic zone is filled with many astounding animals, like puffer fish, great white sharks, seahorses, and many other mysterious creatures. The pelagic zone has frequent temperatures, lots of food, and very little pressure.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    These small killers have a really large mouth and claws, which they use to strip their prey. They are very aggressive. Eating anything their size or smaller including small fish. This limits the food sources for the larger fish leading to a decrease in population of native species. The best way to control this invasive species is to be knowledgeable of the waters in which you roam.…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    While reading the articles, “New ‘phantom’ dinoflagellate is the causative agent of major estuarine fish kills” published in Nature in 1992, and “Killer Algae” published in Discover in 1993, the reader is able to perceive similarities and differences between the two articles. Both articles are about a mysterious species of dinoflagellate that kill large quantities of fish. “New ‘phantom’...” and “Killer Algae” both explain why the species of dinoflagellate is considered a ‘phantom’. The dinoflagellate receives the title ‘phantom’ due to it disappearing after a kill. The killer algae does not actually disappear, but instead changes form.…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sea Lion Research Paper

    • 1503 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Sea lions will often eat stones; many scientists think this is because the stones help them balance. Sea lions are safe from most land predators, except for the polar bear. People are also a main “predator” of sea lions although we do not use them as a source of food, but rather as a resource for things like lamp oil and jackets (“Arnold 22”). Some predators of sea lions also are orcas, or killer whales, and great white sharks (“California”). With the vast variety of food for the sea lion also comes with many…

    • 1503 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Effects of Shark Finning An ecosystem is an environment in which a community of organisms live in. Our ecosystem is threatened by a numerous of things. If the ecosystem is put off balance or destroyed, it could disrupt the food chain and cause several shortages. The act of shark finning is one of these factors disrupting our ecosystem.…

    • 2517 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Coral Bleaching Essay

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems composed of small animals known as coral polyps, the skeletons of dead corals, and the various plants and animals that take refuge in the rich environment they produce. Sadly, the world 's coral reefs are dying. Ocean acidification, rising water temperatures, and disruption in the balance of sea life combine to form a lethal threat to these beautiful natural wonders. But what is really killing coral reefs? We are.…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays