The spiny devilfish is the cousin of the stonefish and this is one spooky family!! They lay buried in the sand using camouflage for stealth ambush attacks. This fish also goes by the name of Indian Ocean Walkman because it very rarely swims, instead it ‘walks’ on spiny looking pectoral “legs”.
This is a rare, and unusual fish. Very un-fish-like, it prefers to walk and not to swim. It’s dorsal fin spines, like those of most scorpionfishes, are venomous. It likes to dig itself into the sand, with only those dorsal fin spines sticking out.
When they move, they display an unusual mechanism of subcarangiform locomotion. They crawl slowly along the seabed, employing the four lower rays (two on each side) of their pectoral fins as legs. The paired pectoral fins of these fishes are a remarkable example of their adaptation to life in a benthic environment. No longer useful or necessary for aiding the animal in manoeuvring within the water column, the fins have taken on a number of other functions useful to life as a demersal fish. Among these include probing for food items, propping the forward part of the body away from the bottom, and the aforementioned sub-carangiform locomotion.
This cryptic bottom-dweller is notorious in the Indo-Pacific for its ability to inflict excruciating pain on divers and fishermen who come in contact with its venomous spines. (Deaths have been reported.)A devilfish makes an unusual captive specimen, flaring its colourfully patterned pectoral fins as a warning when threatened. It is a typical ambush predator that will lie quietly in wait of passing prey, then strike with blinding speed.
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This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media