Captured back on 8/3/11, at the beautiful Aquarium of the Pacific, in beautiful Long Beach, California. Just one of 33 shots I took of this handsome guy, and his ilk. Due to their venomous sting, these guys have their own tanks in which to swim about. Admittedly a bit antisocial, like solitary confinement, but at least it protects the other aquarium species from harm. This beauty was really giving me the evil eye, probably because I was violating its privacy. Or maybe it was lonely, and just wanted to be loved. ---------------------- Pterois is a genus of venomous marine fish, commonly known as lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific. Pterois, also called zebrafish, firefish, turkeyfish or butterfly-cod, is characterized by conspicuous warning coloration with red, white, creamy, or black bands, showy pectoral fins, and venomous spiky fin rays. Lionfish are known for their poisonous fin rays, an uncommon feature among marine fish in the East Coast coral reefs. The potency of their venom makes them excellent predators and venomous to fishermen and divers. According to a study that involved the dissection of over 1,400 lionfish stomachs from Bahamian to North Carolinian waters, Pterois fish prey mostly on small fish, invertebrates, and mollusks in large amounts, with some specimens’ stomachs containing up to six different species of prey. .........Source: Wikipedia free encyclopedia, with tons/tonnes more info on the Internet. Don't forget to ZOOM. Cheerybye.