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Black scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus), also known as brown scorpionfish, is a marine fish belonging to the Scorpaenidae family..
Scorfano nero o Scorfano bruno – Scorpaena porcus – intotheblue.it
In the video it was filmed almost by chance, the Scorpionfish in fact thanks to its mimicry is difficult to see, and if you do not pay close attention it is possible to prick yourself with its poison spines. Usually this animal lurks in front of the holes completely camouflaged, waiting for some prey to pass close enough to be caught. In this case, exploring the hole in search of something to film, I only noticed the Scorpionfish when he entered the den to escape, avoiding an unpleasant encounter for him and a painful accident for myself.
Scorfano nero o Scorfano bruno – Black Scorpionfish – Scorpaena porcus – intotheblue.it
Black scorpionfish is widespread in the eastern Atlantic (from the British Archipelago to the Moroccan coast, including the Azores and the Canaries), in the Mediterranean (most widespread in the western part) and in the Black Sea. Benthic, mimetic fish, lives from 0 to over -100 meters of depth on rocky bottoms or seagrass meadows.
The head is large with characteristic appendages and spines distributed throughout the skull. The mouth is wide. The dorsal fin is supported in the first 2/3 by 12 large rays similar to spines; the anal fin has 3 before softening with small rays. The pectoral fins are large, robust and rounded. The ventral ones are oblong, provided with a spine.
The particular morphology of this animal has evolved according to the life of the seabed and is responsible both for its exceptional camouflage skills and for its mediocre swimming skills.
The livery has a background color ranging from dark brown to reddish, sand-colored, spotted and marbled with brown and light.
The scorpionfish feeds on crustaceans, invertebrates and small fish (Gobiidi, Blennidi), which it catches with a rapid movement of the protractile mouth. It awaits its prey motionless, perfectly camouflaged with the surrounding environment.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpaena_porcus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_scorpionfish
