Beautiful, brilliantly coloured fish like angelfish and butterfly fish teem among the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans and the Caribbean. But some of the world's most dangerous fish lurk in tropical waters too. Not only are there powerful predators, such as barracudas, moray eels and sharks, but also highly poisonous fish, such as turkey fish, lionfish and stonefish. Along the back of a lionfish are 18 beautiful long spines - but each carries a deadly venom. Stepping on the spines of a stonefish can cause such extreme pain that victims can die of shock.
Damsel fish are common in both tropical and warm temperate waters.
Angel fish have pointed snouts for extracting worms and shellfish from crevices. Butterfly fish feed on buds of coral, nipping off their heads. Parrot fish have a sharp 'beak' for grazing on coral. Carp were originally an Asian fish, probably brought to Europe by the Romans, and they prefer warm water. Carp can live over 40 years.