Stonefish is an extremely venomous type of fish that lives along the bottom of tropical, shallow waters around coral reefs. Stonefishes are found from French Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean to the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. They can grow to a length of about 15 inches (38 centimeters). A stonefish has a large, spiny head, a stout body, and large pectoral fins (fins behind the gill openings). Its skin is grayish-brown with blotches of orange and has a wartlike appearance. The fish resembles a stone when it hides between rocks and when it waits half-buried in sand and mud to ambush small fish.
A stonefish has sharp, grooved spines in the fins on its back and underside. Each spine has a pair of glands at the base that produce the deadliest of all fish venoms (poisons). When a spine penetrates an object, the pressure on the spine causes the glands to burst and forces the venom out the tip of the spine. In human beings, this venom causes instantaneous and intense pain. It also may cause difficult breathing, convulsions, and even death.
