Physical description:
Photo
courtesy of Phil Slosberg
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Body length: 10 to 20 inches long
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Weight: 1 to 5 lbs
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Large head, mouth and jaws, tapering
to a small tail
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Color: red, orange, yellow,
and black.
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Dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins have
sharp spines with venom; venom glands lie alongside the spines.
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Irregular surface and patchy colors
hide the fish's body contours and make it look like a patch of weed-covered
rock.
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They crawl along the bottom of the
ocean, using their pectoral fins. Because of their relative inactivity
and effective camouflage, some are also called "stone fish."
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