Like the scorpionfish, it is a past master at camouflage. It employs a different strategy than the scorpionfish, however, secreting a sticky mucus that becomes encrusted with bits of seaweed, stone, and coral, often making the fish virtrally indistin-guishable from its background. The greatest danger with the stonefish is stepping down on its poisonous dorsal spines. Another common denizen of the coral reef is the stingray . In Thai waters, the blue-spotted fantail ray is both one of the most common and one of the most attractive species.
Some stingrays conceal themselves on a sandy bottom.
Timid creatures, they will by preference make an escape. If you step on one, howerver, it will whip its tail up to stab and inject you with a potent poison. Accidents involving these fish are unlikely, if reasonable precautions are taken. Basically, you should follow the basic rule of never putting appendages into unexplored crevices or holes. With stonefish, it is a good idea to shuffle your feet when wading around rocks or coral.