Shore Buddies webblog
Wisdom Wednesday | Bluestripe Snapper
Wisdom Wednesday | Caribbean Reef Shark
Wisdom Wednesday | Clownfish
Wisdom Wednesday | What's in a Whale's Mouth
Wisdom Wednesday | Water Lilies
Wisdom Wednesday | Sandbars
Wisdom Wednesday | Underwater Statues
Wisdom Wednesday | Hairy Frogfish
Wisdom Wednesday | Shark Research Methods
Wisdom Wednesday | Black Blotched Porcupinefish
Wisdom Wednesday | The Dwarf Zebra Lionfish
The Dwarf Zebra Lionfish is easy to distinguish from the other lionfish species because of the enlarged pectoral fins. The fins are full and fan shaped and the fin membranes extend almost all the way to the end of the rays. They are usually found on sandy areas of reef flats ranging from between 3 meters to 25 meters in Tanzania but can be found down to 80 meters. Dwarf Lionfish feed at night and prey on small fishes and crustaceans and pretty much anything that fits in their mouth. They are ambush predators and move into positions where small fishes are likely to congregate. They use their proportionally large mouths to create a vacuum and suck in and swallow the prey. Being smaller than other Lionfish they go after smaller prey. They will sometimes use their pectoral fins to herd prey into a position where they can trap them. Little is known about their reproduction.