Lionfish: Beautiful, Unstoppable Killing Machines Of The Deep

“These fish are like Godzilla. Two or three years ago we would see the odd one here and there, but now on every dive they’re there. I’ve been diving these reefs for over 30 years and I’m worried that these fish are taking over.”
 — Cayman Islands scuba diver Peter Hillenbrand on the lionfish, an extremely predatory invasive species that is apparently eating all the other fish in the Caribbean Sea. One study at a coral reef in the Bahamas showed that lionfish, which are native to the Indian and the Pacific Oceans but have no natural predators in Western waters, reduced the numbers of native species by nearly 80 percent. Watching the video above, you can see why. That thing is like the most enthusiastic Sigma Chi pledge during hell week. (And then it’s 90s-rave-party night at the house. But the panther grouper who shares his dorm room stays in and studies and tsk-tsks like, “fratboys.”)