What is a lionfish?
Charles Stuart
think of any fish that could chase a shark up into the shallows and since
most of the "strange" animals in WOT are real life animals I was
wondering if anyone knew.
Sorry but this has been bugging me.
Jillaroo95
>think of any fish that could chase a shark up into the shallows and since
>most of the "strange" animals in WOT are real life animals I was
>wondering if anyone knew.
Lionfish are found in tropical waters. They are very distinctive looking
- striped with many narrow fin and spine appendages sticking out of the
body. The first six dorsal spines are poisonous. This fish is deadly -
an adult fish can kill you; an immature one will make you WISH you were
dead (so I've heard - I've narrowly escaped being poisoned by these
fishies quite a few times and have heard horror stories.) It is also
called the turkey fish and something else, but the third name escapes me.
Anyway, the gist of this rambling is that the fish does exist and sharks
give it a wide berth for good reason.
David Batty
I've also seen lionfish and turkeyfish. All of the specimens I
have seen have been about 6" long. They are pretty standard
reef-dwelling fish, not some sort of huge monster. I don't think sharks
go around feasting on such things but I have a hard time seeing a shark
get chased around by such a fish especially since they tend to move
around pretty slow. I imagine that the Randland lionfish is something
that does not exist in the oceans of modern Earth.
--
David Batty
dba...@netcom.com
Magnus
Charles Stuart <cst...@comp.uark.edu> writes:
> I've never heard of a lionfish. Does anyone know what it is. I can't
> think of any fish that could chase a shark up into the shallows and since
> most of the "strange" animals in WOT are real life animals I was
> wondering if anyone knew.
>
> Sorry but this has been bugging me.
Killerwhale?
Magnus Magnus...@planteco.lu.se
One of the many Carnivorous Plants on the Net
http://www.hpl.hp.com/bot/cp_home
Joseph J. Place
> Date: Thu, 25 JAN 1996 15:44:25 GMT
> From: David Batty <dba...@netcom.com>
> Newgroups: rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan
> Subject: Re: What is a lionfish?
>
> In article <4e7cjh$t...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
> Jillaroo95 <jilla...@aol.com> wrote:
> >>I've never heard of a lionfish. Does anyone know what it is. I can't
> >>think of any fish that could chase a shark up into the shallows and since
> >
> >>most of the "strange" animals in WOT are real life animals I was
> >>wondering if anyone knew.
> >
> >Lionfish are found in tropical waters. They are very distinctive looking
> >- striped with many narrow fin and spine appendages sticking out of the
> >body. The first six dorsal spines are poisonous. This fish is deadly -
> >an adult fish can kill you; an immature one will make you WISH you were
> >dead (so I've heard - I've narrowly escaped being poisoned by these
> >fishies quite a few times and have heard horror stories.) It is also
> >called the turkey fish and something else, but the third name escapes me.
> >Anyway, the gist of this rambling is that the fish does exist and sharks
> >give it a wide berth for good reason.
>
>
> I've also seen lionfish and turkeyfish. All of the specimens I
> have seen have been about 6" long. They are pretty standard
> reef-dwelling fish, not some sort of huge monster. I don't think sharks
> go around feasting on such things but I have a hard time seeing a shark
> get chased around by such a fish especially since they tend to move
> around pretty slow. I imagine that the Randland lionfish is something
> that does not exist in the oceans of modern Earth.
>
> --
> David Batty
> dba...@netcom.com
One of my room mates had one in his rather elaborate salt water
aquarium and the above description does it justice. This one was only
about six inches long but the sting of these fish (so I was told) is more
powerful then a Cobra!! and that is getting hit only once. A shark
trying to eat one of these would get nailed several times and yes the
lion fish would be consumed but the shark would more then likely die as
well. They are a very majestic looking fish and very dangerous...So I can
easily see how they could be the model of the WOT Lionfish...but you choose!
:-----------------------------------------------------------------------:
| Joseph J. Place |_
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|X|
| Vice Chair IEEE Student Branch | WARPed member of TEAM OS/2 |X|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|X|
| pl...@uwindsor.ca |X|
| http://supernova.uwindsor.ca/people/place |X|
|_______________________________________________________________________|X|
|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!.........
H.G. Hettinger
---
H.G.H
---
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.
Andrea Lynn Leistra
Nope.
Verin (I think) makes a specific reference to seeing a shark that
lionfish had chased into the shallows, and Julie^H^H^H^H^HSiuan
referred to 'worrying about lionfish instead of sharks'.
--
Andrea Leistra http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~aleistra
-----
Life is complex. It has real and imaginary parts.
Jillaroo95
No. A lionfish is a breed of fish found in tropical waters that is
extremely poisonous (i.e. fatal to humans.) Sharks give it a wide berth.
Julie Kangas
><Could Lionfish be another name for shark?>
>
>No. A lionfish is a breed of fish found in tropical waters that is
>extremely poisonous (i.e. fatal to humans.) Sharks give it a wide berth.
Not so.
The lionfish gives humans a very nasty sting, but no fatalities
have ever been reported. Generally, lionfish only attack larger
fishes that may wish to eat them (and most fishes don't) or
fishes invading their territory. Occasionally they may mistake
a human arm or leg as another fish and attack. The sting will
be extremely painful and it may be months before the victim
recovers. Some people have reported being unable to drink alcohol
for 6 months after being stung.
Lionfish are quite beautiful with long flowing fins and spines.
In the aquarium, they should be provided with a little cave in
which they will sleep upside-down in.
A close relative of the lionfish, the stonefish, *can* kill
humans with its venom. Most stings happen when a person
steps on the fish.
Julie
Barracuda Sister, Most Arrogant Fish on the Net
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: Roly poly fish <>< <>< /--------\ /
heads told me what to write. <>< <>< /o)))))))))\-/
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< >--)))))))))/-\
<>< <>< <>< <>< \---------/ \
-------------------------------------------------------------------
WIZRD BOY
fish swimming in the wall tank in Picard's Ready Room.
Mark Loy
(Julie Kangas) wrote:
> The lionfish gives humans a very nasty sting, but no fatalities
> have ever been reported. Generally, lionfish only attack larger
> fishes that may wish to eat them (and most fishes don't) or
> fishes invading their territory. Occasionally they may mistake
> a human arm or leg as another fish and attack. The sting will
> be extremely painful and it may be months before the victim
> recovers. Some people have reported being unable to drink alcohol
> for 6 months after being stung.
>
> Lionfish are quite beautiful with long flowing fins and spines.
> In the aquarium, they should be provided with a little cave in
> which they will sleep upside-down in.
>
> A close relative of the lionfish, the stonefish, *can* kill
> humans with its venom. Most stings happen when a person
> steps on the fish.
Not that this is earth-shatteringly important stuff, but reading about this
reminds me of my time stationed in Guam and the incredible critters that
inhabit the tropical marine environment there that can cause you rather
severe harm...sharks are the *least* of your worries and Guam has quite a
population of hammerheads, tigers, and the sundry reef varieties like white
tips and black tips and nurse...but I digress.
I did quite a bit of diving there and saw many lionfish. In fact, a friend
and I would very carefully catch the smaller examples of this fish to put
in his saltwater aquarium. Beautiful fish. But also quite deadly to the
other fish in his tank as he would often awaken to discover that in the
night, the lionfish--also called turkeyfish in many parts of the world--had
thoughtfully consumed all the smaller fish. Voracious eaters, which would
mean that we would have to go back out to the reef and replinish his supply
of small fish.
Once we understood the apetite and feeding habit of the lionfish we would
also try to capture several "bigger" fish to offset the fishes capacity to
eat them. One such fish was a small--slightly bigger than the
lionfish--stonefish (looks *exactly* like a stone lying on the bottom,
hence the reason so many people are killed inadvertantly stepping on them)
which we *very* carefully apprehended...what can I say, we were young, had
access to scuba equipment, and very little common sense. Anyway, the first
night that the stonefish was in the aquarium happened to be a very eventful
night for the lionfish as in the morning it was discovered that the
stonefish had consumed the lionfish--turnabout is, afterall, fair play.
Other notable deadly things in the tropical oceans--not necessarily all
located in the proximity of Guam but most are--are cone shells, sea wasps,
sea snakes, and the ever popular itty-bitty lethally poisonous little
octopus.
Cone shells are particularly insidious as they are prized by collectors and
are beautifully intricate shells. Not all varieties can hurt you. But the
ones that can use a very sophisticated technique to literally inject the
toxin into your body. Death is possible.
Sea wasps are another very sneaky little critter as they are a form of
jellyfish that are quite demure and delicate in size and appearance.
Wrong. If one stings you, you're dead. Period.
Sea snakes are only the most deadly snake in the world. If one bites you,
you will have enough time to realize that you are totally fucked, and then
you die quite painfully.
The poisonous octopus I mentioned is a small variety of the species that
uses its beak to inject its poison into your system. Death is possible and
perhaps even likely.
Add to this mix the other stinging critters like other varities of
jellyfish including the Portugese Man of War and all the stinging corals
like fire coral that burns like Hell and leaves permanent scars and the
biting things like Moray eels and baracuda not forgetting the
aforementionedand sharks and the everpresent surf which will throw you up
onto the jagged, treacherous, slippery, and deadly rocks and reef
formations and you have a paradise of potential harm surrounding you
everytime you enter the waves for a dive.
Ahhhh...bliss. I loved every minute of it.
Oh well, I'm sure that I've missed some other deadly thing or slightly
misrepresented the potential lethalness of some of these critters...but I
don't think so.
Anyway, I'm through babbling now.
Back to your regularly scheduled news froup.
ML
Dave Hemming
spake thusly:
>In article <4ervpf$6...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> jilla...@aol.com (Jillaroo95) writes:
>><Could Lionfish be another name for shark?>
>>
>>No. A lionfish is a breed of fish found in tropical waters that is
> ^ marine
>>extremely poisonous (i.e. fatal to humans.) Sharks give it a wide berth.
>Not so.
[snip they're not fatal]
>Occasionally they may mistake
>a human arm or leg as another fish and attack. The sting will
>be extremely painful and it may be months before the victim
>recovers. Some people have reported being unable to drink alcohol
>for 6 months after being stung.
And this is better than death?
>Lionfish are quite beautiful with long flowing fins and spines.
>In the aquarium, they should be provided with a little cave in
>which they will sleep upside-down in.
The strangeness of the natural world, and the obscurity of Julie's
fish-related trivia, never cease to amaze me.
>A close relative of the lionfish, the stonefish, *can* kill
>humans with its venom. Most stings happen when a person
>steps on the fish.
Maybe the Randlanders have the two confused.
Dave
----------------------------------------------
Dave Hemming - surf...@waverider.co.uk
"...And I'd have got away with it too if it
hadn't been for those mescaline peddling kids!"
Nathan Lundblad
: Could Lionfish be another name for shark?
: ---
No. Siuan once referred to once seeing a lionfish
chase a shark onto the shoals. Or something.
Nathan Lundblad
Julie Kangas
>In article <4eta6k$1...@netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov>, ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov
>(Julie Kangas) wrote:
>
>>
>> Lionfish are quite beautiful with long flowing fins and spines.
>> In the aquarium, they should be provided with a little cave in
>> which they will sleep upside-down in.
>>
>> A close relative of the lionfish, the stonefish, *can* kill
>> humans with its venom. Most stings happen when a person
>> steps on the fish.
>
>
>Once we understood the apetite and feeding habit of the lionfish we would
>also try to capture several "bigger" fish to offset the fishes capacity to
>eat them. One such fish was a small--slightly bigger than the
>lionfish--stonefish (looks *exactly* like a stone lying on the bottom,
>hence the reason so many people are killed inadvertantly stepping on them)
>which we *very* carefully apprehended...what can I say, we were young, had
>access to scuba equipment, and very little common sense. Anyway, the first
>night that the stonefish was in the aquarium happened to be a very eventful
>night for the lionfish as in the morning it was discovered that the
>stonefish had consumed the lionfish--turnabout is, afterall, fair play.
It all goes back to the basic fish rule of thumb: He who has
the biggest mouth wins. There are exceptions of course, but it's a
good guideline.
(There's a really cool picture of a 14 foot fossilized fish that
has a 10 foot whole fish in its tummy. It is thought that the
14 foot fish died from extreme indigestion since the smaller
fish was probably swallowed live.)
And being closely related to the lionfish, that stonefish
wouldn't care about its comparatively weak venom.
>
>Other notable deadly things in the tropical oceans--not necessarily all
>located in the proximity of Guam but most are--are cone shells, sea wasps,
>sea snakes, and the ever popular itty-bitty lethally poisonous little
>octopus.
Darn it Mark! You've had some fun. All I ever got to do
was chase gila monsters and coral snakes that unfortunately
escaped.
<snip>
Impressive list of deadly creatures deleted - why doesn't
Disney ever mention *these* animals, instead of soft brown
eyed furry things? Anyway, I think it's a shame that there
isn't a marine equivalent to the candiru fish. That would
make Guam the true ocean paradise.
>
>Ahhhh...bliss. I loved every minute of it.
>
>Oh well, I'm sure that I've missed some other deadly thing or slightly
>misrepresented the potential lethalness of some of these critters...but I
>don't think so.
It's also too bad that the parasites that so infect fresh water
(and *are* communicable to humans) don't live in salt water, and
those that *do* live in salt water won't infect humans. Bummer.
Julie Kangas
>On 2 Feb 1996 15:21:56 GMT, ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas)
>spake thusly:
>
>>a human arm or leg as another fish and attack. The sting will
>>be extremely painful and it may be months before the victim
>>recovers. Some people have reported being unable to drink alcohol
>>for 6 months after being stung.
>
>And this is better than death?
If you die, you don't ever get to drink again.
As the old saying goes: "In heaven there is no beer,
that's why we drink it here."
Words to live by.
>
<snip>
>
>>A close relative of the lionfish, the stonefish, *can* kill
>>humans with its venom. Most stings happen when a person
>>steps on the fish.
>
>Maybe the Randlanders have the two confused.
I doubt it. Stonefish live on the sea floor and look
like stones. In order for such camouflage to work, they
have to act like stones. You rarely see stones chasing
sharks around.
Both the lionfish and stonefish are sedate creatures
that don't go chasing after things in a speedy fashion.
I suspect that the Randlanders' lionfish is something
completely different. (Even today, the chore of
figuring out what type of fish you have based solely
on a common name is extremely difficult.)
I think the 'lionfish' is a fast, predatory fish,
perhaps even a large barracuda. <grin>
Karl-Johan Noren
lundblad@wvirg (Nathan Lundblad) writes:
> H.G. Hettinger (l.hh...@www.sota-oh.com) wrote:
> : Could Lionfish be another name for shark?
>
> No. Siuan once referred to once seeing a lionfish
> chase a shark onto the shoals. Or something.
Actually, it's Verin. But it's in a conversation with
Siuan [TDR, The Amyrlin Seat].
--
Karl-Johan Norén (Noren with acute e) -- k-j-...@dsv.su.se
http://www.dsv.su.se/~k-j-nore/
- To believe people are as stupid as one believes is
stupider than one can believe
Magnus
ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) writes:
>
> Both the lionfish and stonefish are sedate creatures
> that don't go chasing after things in a speedy fashion.
> I suspect that the Randlanders' lionfish is something
> completely different. (Even today, the chore of
> figuring out what type of fish you have based solely
> on a common name is extremely difficult.)
Unrelated question: Is the female non-shark fish in Sherman's Lagoon
(named Jitterbug in Sweden) a lionfish?
Magnus Magnus...@planteco.lu.se
"-And I've got this geas.
-That's nice , everyone should have a pet."
Jillaroo95
> that don't go chasing after things in a speedy fashion.
Not sure about that one. I have fed lionfish and they move pretty damn
fast after their food... Otherwise, they do look relatively peaceful.
Michael D. Steeves
= Does she have stripes, long filament-like fins, and lots of spines?
Just out of curiosity (and I do mean no harm here), but...
do your friends get asked this a lot...?
Tongue firmly in cheek,
-darkelf
For that special Valentine's day gift, say it
with flowers. Send her a Triffid.
--
Death before dishonor / Drugs before lunch
-Aspen Gun and Drug Club
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.uml.edu/~msteeves | mste...@cs.uml.edu
Julie Kangas
>In article <4ffrbp$d...@netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov>
>ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) writes:
>>
>> that don't go chasing after things in a speedy fashion.
>> completely different. (Even today, the chore of
>> figuring out what type of fish you have based solely
>> on a common name is extremely difficult.)
>
>Unrelated question: Is the female non-shark fish in Sherman's Lagoon
>(named Jitterbug in Sweden) a lionfish?
I have no idea - my paper doesn't carry Sherman's Lagoon.
Does she have stripes, long filament-like fins, and lots of spines?
Julie
Julie Kangas
>> Both the lionfish and stonefish are sedate creatures
>> that don't go chasing after things in a speedy fashion.
>
>fast after their food... Otherwise, they do look relatively peaceful.
But I doubt they could keep up with a shark to where
the shark was frightened enough to enter shallow water.
Once an offending fish is removed from the lionfish's
territory, the lionfish loses interest.
Julie Kangas
>In article <4ft5kj$c...@netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov>
>ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) writes:
>
>> In article <4fpugc$1...@merkurius.lu.se> Magnus...@planteco.lu.se (Magnus) writes:
>
>> >Unrelated question: Is the female non-shark fish in Sherman's Lagoon
>> >(named Jitterbug in Sweden) a lionfish?
>>
>> I have no idea - my paper doesn't carry Sherman's Lagoon.
>>
>> Does she have stripes, long filament-like fins, and lots of spines?
>
Well, if she looks like a lionfish, swims like a lionfish, and
stings like a lionfish, she probably is one!
Julie Kangas
>ju...@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) wrote:
>= Does she have stripes, long filament-like fins, and lots of spines?
>
>Just out of curiosity (and I do mean no harm here), but...
>do your friends get asked this a lot...?
>
Don't be silly. Everyone knows that barracudas
don't have long fins.
>Tongue firmly in cheek,
I would think that would start to hurt
after a while.