Length: Usually 30 cm, but it can reach the 50 cm.
Depth: from 10 to 500 meters
Eastern Atlantic (rare in British islands). Senegal, Madeira,
Canary islands, Cape Verde. Through out the Mediterranean Sea,
absent from the Black Sea.
Food: Feeds on crustaceans, moluscs and fishes.
The species is a nocturnal hunter. It lives in borrows and
caves of reefs during the day and it comes out from its
shelter to hunt at night. It is the largest species of the
eastern Atlantic scorpion fishes. The south African
populations seem the same as eastern Atlantic ones. The
supraorbital tentacles of the species are long. It is venomous
and its venom hurts a lot. It adapts well in captivity. It is
considered as precious bouillabaisse ingredient.
Photo was taken in about 30 meters in a typical
Mediterranean reef near Syros island by G.
Rigoutsos (hobbyist scuba diver, member of the
Nautical Ecological & Cultural Association
of Kini Bay).