Red Sea fish: description with names and photos, poisonous

In the Red Sea, for millions of years, various underwater inhabitants live and breed in large numbers. To date, it is known about one and a half thousand species of fish that have been described and studied by man, although it is believed that this is not even half of the total number of fish inhabiting the Red Sea. At the same time, species differ not only in a variety of colors, but also in the nature of their behavior, and among them there are both safe and dangerous species.

The sea is warm enough and not a single river flows into it, thanks to which the natural purity of the water is preserved, which contributes to comfortable living conditions for many species of fish. Moreover, many of the species are considered unique, since they are not found in other water bodies of the planet.

Popular and safe fish species

As a rule, all tourists who visit popular resorts on the Red Sea coast plan to visit the underwater world or go fishing. As a result of such events, tourists get a lot of pleasure from meeting with many representatives of the underwater world.

Parrot fish

The parrot fish has a rather colorful outfit, which is consistent with its name. The color of the body of the fish is multi-colored, and there is a growth on the forehead, like a parrot’s beak. Regardless of the uniqueness of the coloring, and regardless of the size, the parrot fish is absolutely peaceful and safe.

Although safe, the fish can still accidentally bite, and because it has powerful jaws, the bite can be quite painful. Before nightfall, the fish forms a jelly-like cocoon that serves as a defense against parasites and predators. Being in such a cocoon, even moray eels cannot find a parrot fish by smell.

Napoleon fish

The species got its name because of the growth on the head, which is similar to Napoleon’s cocked hat. Maori wrasse is distinguished by its impressive size, reaching 2 meters, but, despite its huge size, the fish has a very good-natured character. In addition, the fish is trusting and sociable, so it swims up to the divers to get acquainted.

Antais

The fish is not large in size, a maximum of 15 cm in length. Leads a flock of life, and in each flock there can be up to 500 individuals. As a rule, flocks include individuals of various colors – orange, green, red and their shades.

Biband amphiprion

The fish is simply unique in color, which is why it attracts divers. The stripes have black contrast piping. They prefer to live in pairs, being in anemones, while they are not afraid of tourists. Although the tentacles of anemones are poisonous, they are not dangerous for the two-banded amphiprion, since the body of these fish is covered with mucus. Amprifions are also called clowns. They are not afraid of anyone, being protected by the tentacles of anemones.

Butterfly fish

It has a rather high and strongly flattened oval body. The dorsal fin is long and brightly colored in black and yellow. Butterfly fish is diurnal, so it is known to many divers, especially since it lives at shallow depths.

They can be found as part of a small flock, and are found in pairs. There are individuals of absolutely diverse colors, in blue, orange, black, silver, red, yellow tones and their numerous combinations.

Black Speckled Grunt

This species has wide lips, which is why it was also called the “sweet lip”. This inhabitant received the name grumbler for the sounds that are heard when biting through corals.

Letrina

Another interesting species of fish can be found in the coastal zone of the Red Sea. These fish feel good, both among rocks and reefs, and among aquatic vegetation. The body is painted in green-brown tones, with the presence of dark spots on the sides of the body. The fins and eyes are reddish-pink. They can grow up to half a meter in length.

imperial angel

This fish is easy to spot among the many representatives of the underwater world by its unique body coloring, which immediately catches the eye. The fish is decorated with stripes of various shades. Moreover, the strips are not only multi-colored, but also have different lengths and shapes. At the same time, the direction of the stripes can also be varied, as a result of which various geometric shapes can form on the body of the fish. Each fish has its own unique and inimitable pattern.

Plataxes

This species is distinguished by a unique, crescent-shaped body and grows up to 70 cm in length. The body of the fish is strongly flattened laterally and is characterized by bright orange and yellow coloring and three black stripes. The fish are not shy and quite sociable and curious, so they always accompany divers. They prefer to lead a flock of life. Adults lose some of their color and become monotonous, silvery, and the stripes are blurred. This also reduces the size of the fins.

lantern fish

These fish have glowing eyes, although the greenish light may come from the tail or ventral part of the body. The fish grow in length up to 11 cm no more. They live at depths up to 25 meters in caves. The fish are shy, so they hide from divers. Due to the greenish radiation, they manage to attract potential prey. In addition, light helps them stay within their species.

Antias

Quite an interesting species, which makes up a significant part of the living creatures that inhabit the coral reefs. They represent quite bright and colorful fish, which are always found, both in photographs and in videos taken underwater.

These are not large and interesting fish that are known to many aquarists. In nature, these fish are protogenic hermaphrodites. In other words, all fish are born females, so this species forms complex social bonds, since the number of females is always significantly larger than males.

Sea carp

They are distinguished by a high and compressed body from both sides. Many of the species of crucian carp are edible, so they are harvested in commercial quantities. Young individuals of crucian carp are radically different from their adult relatives, both in color and body shape. At the same time, they look much brighter than their parents.

blennies

These representatives of the underwater world can be distinguished by their highly placed eyes. Quite often, antennae grow above the eyes, and thread-like or massive growths can be seen on the head, which are more noticeable in males. The meat of the blenny can be eaten, but it is considered tasteless, so few people eat it. When she gets on the hook and when you try to remove it, she tries to bite, clenching her jaw. In fact, this bite is completely painless.

Aggressive inhabitants of the Red Sea

In addition to peaceful, safe fish, dangerous, aggressive species are also found in the waters of the Red Sea. However, they are not the first to attack, but if they are provoked, then this can be regretted. As a rule, predators always appear immediately when blood appears, so following simple rules can help protect a person from unforeseen situations.

Therefore:

• Do not touch the fish with your hands.
• Do not visit the sea at night.

In this case, you must always be prepared for the fact that the fish can unexpectedly attack the diver.

Poison fish

Fish Surgeon

The tail fins of the fish are equipped with sharp spikes for protection. When the fish is not in danger, these spikes are hidden in special recesses. In case of danger, the spikes extend and move apart, and they are sharp, like scalpels.

The fish can grow up to 1 meter in length. If someone wants to pet this fish, which is no less brightly colored than safe fish, they can get a lot of trouble, as well as deep wounds.

Stone fish

All the insidiousness lies in the fact that it is difficult to notice the fish against the background of the bottom. The presence of warty growths and gray coloration is repulsive. When a stone fish burrows into the bottom, it cannot be seen at all, since it literally merges with the bottom surface. If you accidentally prick with its spikes located on the dorsal fin, then without special medical care a fatal outcome is possible, literally in a few hours.

When poison enters the body, a person suffers from excruciating pains, from disturbances in the rhythm of the heart, from disturbances in the work of the vascular system, impaired consciousness, etc. If you seek help in a timely manner, then a person can be cured, but it will take a long time.

Zebra fish

This fish is also called lionfish, and it is distinguished by uniquely shaped ribbon-like fins with poisonous needles. As a result of careless handling of fish, you can prick yourself with thorns, which leads to convulsive manifestations, loss of consciousness and breathing problems. The coloring of the body is made in the form of alternating brownish-red stripes, which resembles a fan. Many underwater inhabitants keep at a considerable distance from this fish.

Ramps

Despite the capabilities of this fish, it does not show any aggression. In this case, careless handling can lead to a number of negative consequences. For example:

• Electric shock can cause paralysis or cardiac arrest.
• As a result of an injection with a poisonous thorn, a painful and long-healing wound appears.

In fact, not a single fatal case has been recorded when meeting with a stingray. The main problem arises when a person steps on a fish.

Sea Dragon

In appearance, and especially in the shape of the body, the sea dragon is easy to confuse with a bull. The presence of dark spots and stripes on the body of the fish indicates that this creature belongs to a dangerous species. The sea dragon preys on its potential victims, both at depths of up to 20 meters and in shallow water, where a person can easily step on a predator buried in the sand.

This predator grows up to half a meter in length and has an elongated body. Attacks its prey with lightning speed. Thanks to the high-set eyes, the fish is easy to hunt. The fish always keeps its dorsal fin spread as a warning. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to notice it in time. All fin needles are toxic.

Even a dead sea dragon is dangerous for 3 hours. This fish is especially dangerous for fishermen. When the fish gets on the hook and is pulled out of the water, then all the spikes are pressed, but as soon as the fish is picked up, the spikes immediately straighten out. As a result of injections with fins, a fatal outcome is possible.

Arotron stellate

This is a rather large inhabitant of the underwater kingdom, as it grows up to one and a half meters in length. Due to its unique coloring and slow movement in the water column, this fish is also difficult to spot against the background of the bottom. The peculiarity of the arotron is that it is able to inflate almost to the ball. This fish manages to do thanks to the presence of a special chamber located next to the stomach. At the moment of danger, the fish instantly fills this chamber with water, which scares off enemies.

Tetradoxin poison accumulates in the flesh of the arotron, therefore it is not recommended to eat the meat of these individuals. As you know, this poison is much more toxic than potassium cyanide. The fish has strong enough teeth that easily grind corals and molluscs, so its bites are quite painful.

The poisonous fish of the Red Sea are often more toxic than the poisonous snakes that inhabit the land.

Dangerous fish

needlefish

In its appearance, this fish is simply unique: the body length is almost 1 meter, while the body is narrow, hexagonal in shape. The color can be different: there are individuals of light green, gray and reddish-brown shades. It is better not to meet with this fish, because it can easily bite through the human body.

Tiger shark

The tiger shark is distinguished by the fact that it is decorated with stripes on the sides, like a tiger, which is why it got its name. Predators can easily and at any time appear within the beach areas or in the bays. These are quite large sharks, up to 7 meters long. These predators can hunt in complete darkness. Tiger sharks, compared to other species, are much more likely to attack humans.

Barracuda

This is a fish up to 2 meters long and in appearance resembles an ordinary pike. The barracuda has a rather large mouth, in which knife-like teeth are placed, so it can easily cripple a person. Of course, she does not specifically attack a person, but she can easily confuse a person’s limb with a fish, especially if the water is cloudy.

In fact, it does not threaten humans, but can hunt with sharks, so it is not difficult to assume that with the appearance of barracuda, sharks may immediately appear.

Barracuda meat is also not recommended for consumption, since severe poisoning with a fatal outcome is possible.

Moray eel

We can safely say that this is just a unique representative of the Red Sea, which, depending on the species, can grow up to 3 meters. The body of the moray eel is serpentine, so it gracefully moves among the placers of stones of various sizes at the very bottom. The body of the moray eel without scales, while it can have a very diverse color. You can meet individuals, both monotonous and spotted, or striped, etc. She has a relatively large mouth with two jaws. The fish is not poisonous, but as a result of a bite, the wound does not heal for a long time.

bluefin balisthode

This species is especially dangerous in the summer, when the mating season begins for the fish. During this period, he is easily able to attack a person. In other periods, the blue-feathered balisthod remains completely calm and practically does not react to foreign objects. Prefers to stay within coral reefs.

It is distinguished by bright coloring, while the shape of the pattern can be different, as well as its color. This fish has rather powerful teeth that can easily cope with corals and crustacean shells. Bites are heavy and take a long time to heal, though not toxic. It is believed that the behavior of this fish is unpredictable, so it is the most dangerous on the reefs.

spotted flathead

This representative of the underwater kingdom is also called the crocodile fish. Prefers to live among coral reefs. It grows in length to almost 1 meter. Due to the fact that the fish has a large head and wide mouth, it was called the crocodile fish. The body is painted in sandy colors or in dirty green shades.

He spends almost all his time at the bottom, burrowing into the sand and waiting for fish passing by, which are included in the diet of this fish. At the same time, it attacks its victim, making lightning-fast throws. Prefers to hunt small fish, despite the rather wide mouth.

The Flathead is distinguished by its intimidating appearance, since its body is covered with spikes that protect it from natural enemies. The fish is not aggressive, but you should not touch its body. As a result of the wounds received, serious inflammation is possible if you do not seek help in a timely manner.

Red Sea tilozur

This is a predatory fish that preys on small fish at shallow depths. This fish grows up to one and a half meters in length and is very similar to barracuda, but the telosur has a much longer jaw. The fish is unique in that jumping out of the water flies a considerable distance over the waves. The tail of this fish is quite strong and acts like a spring. As a rule, with the help of their jumps, they suddenly appear in schools of fish that are being hunted by a predator. Often, while making their jumps, telosurs inflicted injuries on fishermen.

In addition to the listed species of fish, there are other species in the Red Sea that are of particular interest to tourists.

In conclusion

Naturally, this is not the whole list and it could be continued indefinitely. But these are only the species that are known. It is believed that there are many more species that scientists still do not know anything about.