They found that in addition to being poisonous, rockfish swim “armed”

Rockfish, as you may know - and remember what happens to Emmeline in the movie "The Blue Lagoon" - are among the most poisonous fish in the world. Belonging to the genus Synanceia, they can be found in the Indian and Pacific coastal regions and are known to produce a potent neurotoxic substance that can be fatal to humans.

Stone Fish Illustration

The animal is ugly, poor thing ... (Wikimedia Commons / JF Hennig / Public Domain)

Generally, human incidents happen when someone accidentally comes into contact with the pimples in the body of these dangerous animals and the toxin enters the bloodstream. But according to Jacinta Bowler of Science Alert, a team of researchers found that rockfish have a secret weapon!

In addition to the poisonous pimples, they have what scientists have called the "tear saber" - which consists of an extra thorn just under each eye that can be "fired" to deliver side attacks with the head. Check out the following image:

Tear Fish Saber Stone

Did you see only the poisonous saber of the animal? As if he wasn't sinister enough ... (Science Alert / Smith et al./Copeia)

And how does the secret weapon work?

According to the researchers who described the existence of these mischievous thorns, rockfish are equipped with a portion of the muscles and other structures in the eye and jaw area that they reuse to move the saber and make it rise and stand. in the horizontal position. When not in use, the thorn lies flat on the fish's face - until it needs to launch a deadly surprise attack!

Photo of a stone fish

Ugly and very dangerous (Wikimedia Common / SeanMack)

In fact, as it is an external structure that looks like fish, scientists have known of its existence for many years. However, as stonefish belong to a very poorly studied genus, no one had analyzed the thorn in detail and described its function and mechanism. Now, thanks to the study conducted now, we know that these animals can be even more dangerous than previously thought.

Check out the following other lethal creatures that exist on the planet:

  • Discover the 10 most poisonous animals in the world
  • Australia's 10 Most Dangerous Animals
  • The 11 Most Dangerous and Poisonous Spiders in the World

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