When diving in Amed, you’re almost guaranteed to see at least one scorpionfish on your dive. With over 200 species, Scorpionfish, or Scorpaenidae, come in many different colors and sizes and are extremely well camouflaged with their feathery fins hiding on the reef and in between rock crevices. They are often covered with tassels or warts to aid their disguise. They are ambush predators, and they often hunt small fish, crustaceans and snails by surprising their prey with a venomous sting from their sharp dorsal spines. Most ‘victims’ don’t see them coming because they blend in so well with their surroundings. These toxic stings can be fatal to prey and very painful to humans. Their mouths extend out and are very wide, and they can swallow a fish up to half their size in just one bite! As they are nocturnal, most of their day is spent hiding, and it’s at night mostly where they tend to be a bit more active.
Walking Scorpionfish in Amed…
Female scorpionfish will lay around 15,000 eggs, and the eggs will float on the surface for only 2 days after they are fertilized. The baby scorpionfish will stay near the surface until they are big enough to swim back down to the reef.
We got lucky during the day at The Japanese Wreck and spotted this one out for a walk on the reef (see video above). Scorpionfish use their pectoral fins to get around. It looks as if they are walking!
Are you interested in learning more about marine life in Amed, Bali? Come and join us at Two Fish Divers Amed for some dives, and then sit down with a Fish ID book with our knowledgeable guides and instructors!
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