Lionfish live in the warm waters of coral reefs around the world. Like its cousin the scorpionfish, lionfish are hunters that like to remain motionless until a favorite meal passes by. During the day, lionfish remain near their hiding place to hunt for their favorite meals such as small fish, shrimp, and even crabs. A lionfish's mouth is large enough to swallow animals nearly as large as its own body. The lionfish uses its bright colors and unusual patterns to remind hungry predators that it is poisonous.
Most fish think twice before making a meal of porcupine fish.
By swallowing large amounts of water or air very quickly, a frightened porcupine fish can puff its body up to several times its normal size. This response to danger makes the porcupine fish too big for most ocean animals to consider swallowing. With its pointy spines sticking straight out, a porcupine fish would cause any animal a good case of indegestion. If that's not enough of a defense, the porcupine fish's flesh is poisonous to most animals, including humans. When a porcupine fish is not frightened, its body is long and oval-shaped and its pointy spines rest along its back.