Spikey red sea creature appears across Indian Ocean for first time. Take a look
Across the world's oceans, a group of fish blend into rocky bottoms and coral reefs, waiting in ambush for prey to cross their path.
They hunt at night, lurching out of the rocky outcrops toward smaller fish, crustaceans and snails.
But when the tables turn and they are on the menu for a larger predator, they are properly armed.
There are more than 200 known species of scorpionfish around the world, known for their venomous spines that can kill some animals and cause extreme pain to humans, according to Oceana.
One of these species is the spotfin scorpionfish, or Neoscorpaena nielseni, a bright red fish typically found in the western Indian Ocean along the coasts of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Seychelles, Réunion and Mauritius, according to a study published May 9 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
Now, the species has been spotted in a new place for the first time — across the ocean.
Spotfin scorpionfish have 12 hard spines down their dorsal, or back, fins, and a 'deep' body, according to the study.
Their mouths are 'large' and 'slightly oblique' with a 'simple, sharp (and) conical' nasal spine.
Their bodies are 'reddish with numerous black and yellow blotches' with a 'whitish' belly and 'semi-translucent reddish' fins, researchers said.
The research team collected records of the fish in Western Australia, ranging from fish caught in the trawls of fishing vessels to those found in scampi pots, according to the study.
More than 30 fish were examined, and they ranged in size from about 3 inches long to about 7 inches long.
All of the spotfin scorpionfish identified in Australia were found at depths between about 1,050 and 1,400 feet deep, according to the study.
Previous research published in 2001 reported the spotfin scorpionfish in a checklist of fishes of Western Australia, researchers said, but when they reexamined the fish, they realized it belonged to a different genus of scorpionfish.
'Therefore, the present study is the first to record N. nielseni from waters off Australia, based on bona fide specimens,' researchers said.
The presence of another scorpionfish along the Australian coast is noteworthy because of their venomous nature. Aside from their spines being venomous when grabbed, the fish can also use the venom to stun their prey before they eat it, their large mouths allowing them to gulp their prey in one bite, according to Oceana.
Researchers didn't speculate as to how the scorpionfish made their way from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other.
The research team includes Tatsuya Matsumoto and Hiroyuki Motomura.
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