Invasion of the lionfish

Lionfish are voracious predators with beautiful but venimous sharp spines which they use for defense. They are native to the Indian Pacific Ocean region, not the Caribbean. They began appearing in great numbers after Hurricane Andrew damaged a Florida aquarium in 1992 and allowed six lionfish to escape. The first lionfish in Curacao was spotted in 2009 and since then, they have started appearing with great frequency. This specimen was captured and can be seen at the Curacao Seaquarium. Sharing its tank is Valonia ventricosa (green ball algae),

AIMG_0620