45centimeters(18 inches) long
Lionfishwillpreyonmorethan100species.Onelionfishcaneat5,000fishina year.
Theycanliveupto15yearsinthe wild.
Lionfishreproduceatarapidrate.Afemalecanproducemorethantwomillioneggsper year.
Lionfishareprotectedbyvenomousspinesattachedtotheir fins.
presentinvasion zone
expectedinvasion zone
North
America
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Atlantic
Ocean
LionfishhaveinvadedtheEastCoast,theCaribbean,andtheGulfof Mexico.
Theyareexpectedtocontinuespreadingsouthtoward Brazil.
Invasivelionfishcanseverelydamagecoral reefs.
before invasion
after invasion
Lionfishambushpreyincoralreefs,seagrassbeds,mangroveswamps,andevensunken ships.
Inheavilyinvadedregions,somenativefishhavebeenreducedby90 percent.
Lionfishcaneasilyeatmorethan2/3oftheirownbody weightatone time.
