Ocean
Watch
Monday, August 18, 1997
Camouflaged fish gives
scuba divers quite a sting
"Look," one of my snorkeling partners said,
pointing to a bumpy, fist-sized rock in the sand near a large coral head,
just feet from the shore. I immediately saw what he had found and showed
another friend, new to the islands.
She couldn't see it.
"Look exactly where I point," I told her.
"Are we looking under that rock or on top of
it?" she asked.
"We're looking at the rock itself. Look
hard."
We were standing in chest-deep water. She dropped her
face to the surface, then after a few moments, popped back up. "I
don't see anything."
"OK, watch closely." I dove down and waved my
hand near the brown, algae-covered rock. Like magic, it came alive. A pair
of yellow, orange and red fins appeared at its sides, like colorful
airplane wings. It darted under the coral head in a couple of quick hops.
My friend was laughing when I surfaced. "I could
have stood here all day and not seen that fish. What is it?"
The fish was a devil scorpionfish, or nohu omakaha, and
my friend was not unusual in missing it. These scorpionfish, common on
reefs throughout Hawaii and the tropical Pacific, are masters of disguise,
bearing weedy-looking skin and often changing color to blend with their
surroundings. Every snorkeler and diver has been just inches from such a
fish, many times, and never had a clue.
The devil scorpionfish grows up to 12 inches long and
usually looks like a rock or blob of dead coral that might make a good
handhold. But be sure and wave a hand or fin over any rock before you grab
it. Scorpionfish get their name from the eight-legged land creatures,
whose painful tail stings are memorable. In the fish, the sting is
delivered by venomous spines on their back and belly fins.
Devil scorpionfish (and all other types of scorpionfish)
use their venomous spines for defense only, never initiating attacks. If
you threaten one of these fish, however, it erects its spines and flares
out others in warning.
That bright flash of yellow and red from inside the
pectoral fins of our little friend in the above story was one of those
warnings: "I am dangerous and I am getting annoyed." Predators,
including humans, stung by these scorpionfish, don't forget that colorful
flash -- or the pain of the sting.
Fortunately, the sting of the devil scorpionfish is not
deadly, nor is any scorpionfish sting in Hawaii. Although they are closely
related to the South Pacific's potentially lethal stonefish, ours don't
pack such a powerful punch.
(Only four deaths, ever, have been recorded worldwide
from stonefish. None of these occurred in Australia, where stings from
these fish are fairly common.)
Although stings from Hawaii's scorpionfish won't kill
you, you might feel like you're dying. These stings hurt like mad, making
pain relief a high priority in first aid.
Because heat inactivates at least one of the toxins in
the venom, it also relieves some of the pain. If you are stung, soak the
hand or foot in nonscalding hot water. (Have someone not in pain check the
temperature of the water.)
After the pain is relieved, clean the wound thoroughly.
See a doctor for redness or swelling, signs of infection.
After our devil scorpionfish dashed under the coral, my
friends and I went snorkeling in deeper water. When we returned an hour
later, we found the fish returned to its previous place. There it lay once
again, waiting for unsuspecting prey to pass by. When that happens, the
fish lunges with lightening-speed and gulps it down whole.
"This is like one of those pictures hidden in a
pattern," my friend said. "Before, I couldn't see the fish at
all; now I can't NOT see it."
Maybe the next time, she'll spot a devil scorpionfish
on her own. But then again, maybe she won't.
