Lionfish in the Caribbean Tank

Along with Green Moray Eels and Hawaiian Pacific Triggerfish, the Caribbean Tank at SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium  is home to one of the most venomous fish in the oceans - the Lionfish. In the wild, Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but in the 1900s, they were introduced into the Atlantic Ocean and can now be found along the east coast of the United States.

Their venomous tentacles and lightning-fast reflexes make them excellent predators, and they often spread their pectoral fins (like in the picture above) to help herd small fish and shrimp into a more confined space, making it easier to catch them. Lionfish are overpopulating many of the areas they live in because they reproduce extremely fast and can live to be up to 16 years old!