The Black Sea scorpionfish is beautiful and dangerous. Scorpionfish Bait for scorpionfish

Fish of the order of sea ruffs take second place after stingrays in the number of poisonous injections inflicted on people. Poisonous spiny rays are present in all fins except the pectoral ones. At the base of each ray there are 2 poisonous glands. The spine itself is covered with a free-hanging skin, which, when pricked, moves down and puts pressure on the poisonous gland. The secretion of the gland flows out and through a hollow running along the spine enters the wound. The poison is a high molecular weight protein. You can get an injection not only in the sea, fishing, diving or simply wandering in shallow water, but also at home if you keep scorpion fish in an aquarium (many aquarists consider these fish not only interesting, but also beautiful).

Based on the structure of the poisonous organs and the strength of the poison, ruffes can be divided into 4 groups. Least poisonous sea ​​bass genus Sebastes, although they can also cause a dangerous injection. A thorn wound sometimes causes complications that disable a person for several weeks or even months, or even leave a mark for life: the finger loses the ability to bend and straighten. But sea bass are deep-sea creatures, they are not found on our shores, and are sold in fish stores under the name rotbash. Lionfish have long and thin spines, small venom glands, and relatively weak stings. Scorpionfish have shorter and thicker spines, larger poison glands, and stronger stings. Stonefish have short, strong, powerful spines, well-developed poisonous glands, and their injections can be fatal to humans.

After being pricked by a scorpionfish thorn, a person experiences a sharp pain, which gradually intensifies to the point that it can become unbearable and lead to loss of consciousness. The affected area becomes numb and swollen. The pain sometimes begins to subside only after a few hours, but is felt after a few days. The severity of poisoning depends on many factors, including the type of fish, the number of spines embedded, and the physical condition of the victim. Deep injections caused by several thorns at once are especially dangerous. With repeated wounds, a person gradually acquires immunity to fish poison and suffers less and less from it.

Because, about sea ruffes and their relatives, as well as about all sorts of dangerous creatures, there are a lot of legends, often unreliable, then to refute them I used the article by the American doctor, Dr. Scott Gallagher, “Lionfish and Stonefish”.

Descriptions migrate from site to site tragic consequences pricks of scorpion fish. Even on the professional ichthyological website FishBase it is written that the lionfish Pterois miles “fin rays are very poisonous and can cause death.”

And here’s what Dr. Gallagher writes: Doctors have described 101 reliable cases of being pricked by a lionfish. All victims are aquarists. 92% had local pain, 60% experienced swelling, and 13% had systemic symptoms. There were no deaths. In 95% of cases, skin damage was characterized by erythema (redness), blisters appeared in 4% and tissue necrosis in 1%.

While the sting of a lionfish is painful and only potentially dangerous to humans, other scorpionfish are very poisonous marine animals. In any case, among fish they are the most poisonous. It is a very popular statement that when an injection occurs on a stone fish, death occurs within 2 hours. But Gallagher writes that information about fatalities from contact with stone fish is rare and unreliable. The deaths of only 3 people are documented, and only one of them died immediately after the injection, and the other two died several months after the wound from secondary infection and tetanus.

However, the injection of Synanceia stonefish causes unbearable pain making a person incapacitated. The pain affects the limb and the lymph nodes closest to it. The peak of pain occurs 60-90 minutes after the injection and without medical intervention lasts up to 12 hours. Residual pain may persist for several weeks. The injection site is surrounded by a ring of bluish tissue. Then swelling and redness appear, the limb may become hot, and in rare cases, tissue necrosis develops even without a secondary infection. Blisters form, the skin begins to peel and peel. Sometimes a runny nose, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, and a drop in blood pressure appear.

First aid

It is necessary to determine the injection site, carefully remove the detected thorns, squeeze out a little blood from the wound, give an anesthetic, treat the wound with soap, rinse fresh water and seek medical help.

Good method Primary detoxification is hot baths. This method helps not only with injections of scorpion fish, but also stingrays, sea ​​urchins and other marine animals with poisonous spines, since some poison polypeptides are destroyed at high temperatures.

According to Gallagher, the water temperature should not exceed 45o C. (114 degrees Fahrenheit). The doctor reminds that as a result of anesthesia and loss of sensitivity, burns are possible when using more hot water. But there is another opinion: the water for the bath should be as hot as the victim can tolerate. Processing time is 30-90 minutes. If the pain returns, the procedure must be repeated. But in any case, the bath is made after removing the thorns.

An antidote has been developed against stonefish venom, but it is only effective if administered immediately after the injection. But what is necessary in any case is to be vaccinated against tetanus, the pathogens of which can enter the body with a thorn and cause death. But it is best to take preventive measures.

Prevention

Most scorpion fish injections are caused by improper human behavior: careless walking along the bottom, awkward handling by aquarists, or aggressive behavior of swimmers. As a rule, it is impossible to notice these fish on the bottom, they are so well camouflaged. Therefore, where there is a danger of meeting them, do not go into the water barefoot, especially at night. Please remember that swimming shoes or scuba equipment do not provide full protection. Poisonous rays can puncture rubber. In water, try to walk with a shuffling gait without lifting your feet from the substrate. When you see a lionfish, scorpionfish or wart, do not touch them, much less drive them into the corners of shelters, otherwise they may rush at you in defense. Aquarists keeping these fish must be very careful.

Scorpionfish, or sea ruffe - Scorpaena porcus L.

Class Bony fish- Osteichthyes Order Scorpaeniformes Family Scorpaeniformes - Scorpaenidae

Ecology and biology. Bizarrely colored fish, common in the Black Sea. Skin growths on the head are characteristic. Spends most of its time at the bottom, where it hunts mainly for moving prey. All rays of the anterior dorsal fin have poisonous glands. The rays of the pelvic and anal fins can be poisonous. The structure of the venomous apparatus is typical of spiny-finned fish.

Picture of poisoning. The cause of scorpionfish damage is an accident or careless handling of the fish. The injection causes acute pain radiating along the lymphatic vessels. Lymphangitis develops, and as the poison accumulates in the lymph glands, lymphadenitis, which can be expressed quite sharply and persists for several days. An area of ​​necrosis develops at the site of poison inoculation. General symptoms of poisoning are not pronounced. Complications are most often associated with the introduction of a secondary infection. There is a description of infectious pericarditis caused by a scorpionfish injection.

First aid. See (big dragon). Treatment is symptomatic. A medicinal serum was created in Yugoslavia.

Chemical composition and the mechanism of action of the poison. The active principle of the poison is high-molecular thermolabile proteins with Mr ~ 50,000 - 800,000. Poisoned animals experience hypotension, respiratory problems, cardiac activity, and when high doses are used, paralysis and death from respiratory arrest.

Practical significance. It has no commercial significance, but the meat is quite edible.

Passively poisonous fish

Among the inhabitants of our waters, the most dangerous are some representatives of the carp family (Cyprinidae), whose sexual products are poisonous during the spawning period, including: marinka (Schizothorax), ottomans (Diptychus), barbel (Barbus).

Ecology and biology. Marinka - common (Sch. intermedius Mc.Cl.), Ili (Sch. pseudaksaiensis Herb.) and Balkhash (Sch. argentatus Kessl.) are common in rivers flowing from the Kopetdag, the upper reaches of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya basins, Tarim, in the basin of Lake Balkhash . Body color varies, but grayish-yellow and olive-green tones predominate (Fig. 55). Omnivores: consume both plant and animal foods.

Ottomans - naked (D. dybowskii Kessl.) and scaly (D. tasilatus Steind.) - live in the Tarim, Balkhash, and Issyk-Kul basins. Adult Scaly Ottomans have a dark back and olive-greenish or slate-gray sides. At the level of the pectoral and ventral fins, orange margins are clearly visible, bordering the light yellow belly. The naked Ottoman has a variety of colors: in muddy rivers the back is dark or bluish, the sides are silvery; in lakes - brownish-golden Ottomans.

The common longhorned beetle, or madder (B. barbus L.), is quite big fish, up to 85 cm in length and weighing 4 kg. Prefers deep places with a rocky bottom. It feeds on fish eggs and juveniles, but can jump out of the water and swallow flying insects.

Picture of poisoning. Poisoning is caused by caviar, and in Marinka, by the peritoneum. Within the first hour after eating caviar, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea develops, headache and general weakness, cyanosis of the skin of the face and mucous membranes. Progressive adynamia forces the victim to lie down. Breathing is difficult. In severe cases, paralysis of the lower limbs and diaphragm develops. Death occurs from respiratory arrest. At autopsy, there was congestion in the internal organs.

First aid. Basically, help comes down to removing food debris from the stomach. After the patient vomits and stools, it is useful to give a warm solution of potassium permanganate 1:100 inside. Treatment is symptomatic. In severe cases, qualified medical care is required.

Chemical composition and mechanism of action of the poison. The toxic principle - cyprinidin - is apparently of a non-protein nature. Cyprinidin is extracted from caviar with methanol and precipitated with acetone. Let's dissolve well in water. The chemical structure has not been established. Temperature treatment only partially inactivates cyprinidine. In experimental animals poisoned with cyprinidine, hypotension, adynamia, hypothermia, and difficulty breathing are observed. In lethal doses, cyprinidine causes paralysis of skeletal and respiratory muscles. At the autopsy, the internal organs were overflowing with blood.

The clinical picture of cyprinidine poisoning resembles in its symptoms intoxication with tetrodotoxin contained in the liver and reproductive products of puffer fish (family Tetraodontidae).

Toxic properties The bile of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella Val.) also has bile, DL50 for mice is 109 mg/kg. The liver extract causes a drop in blood pressure, bradycardia, and a decrease in cardiac output in animals. At sublethal doses (5-50 mg/kg), bile extract causes an increase in diuresis and excretion of potassium and sodium.

Practical significance. Nutritionally valuable fish. Eating marinkas, ottomans, and longhorned beetles is possible only after careful removal of the entrails, especially the reproductive products and peritoneum. The abdominal cavity of the fish must be washed with a strong saline solution.

Poisonous animals and plants of the USSR/B.N. Orlov, D.B. Gelashvili, A.K. Ibragimov. - M.: Higher. school, 1990. - 272 s.

Scorpion fish

The scorpion fish, a poisonous fish with an unusual color, is an eye-catcher. The Black Sea ruffe pricks its offenders with sharp fin needles, but often becomes an object for fishing by fishermen.

Scorpionfish is an inhabitant of the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas. They have unusual look and unique coloring. It rarely moves and prefers to wait for prey near the sandy bottom or among rocks overgrown with algae.

Short description

The Black Sea ruffe is a medium-sized fish. The length of her body reaches 40 centimeters, weight - 1.5 kilograms. The head of the scorpionfish is massive, covered with plates and horny growths, making up a third of its length.
The mouth is large with thick lips and strong jaws.

The body of the scorpionfish has many flaps of skin, dark spots and outgrowths; it is lumpy. This allows the fish to disguise itself as stones and attack its prey suddenly.

There are poisonous glands at the base of the rays of the dorsal, anal and lateral fins. The spines serve as protection against large predators.

The color of the scorpionfish is variegated. Young fish are yellow or beige, with brown spots. With age, the color darkens, becoming dark brown. There are black, crimson and pink Black Sea ruffes.

Habitats

Scorpionfish lives in the coastal waters of the Black and Mediterranean Sea, off the European and African coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is located in rock cavities and cracks, thickets of bottom algae, and on dark stones.

Nutrition

This fish is a nocturnal predator, lying in wait for its prey, masquerading as a stone. Scorpion fish are inactive. It feeds on crustaceans and small fish, which it catches with its lateral organs. The Black Sea ruffe is quite sharp, as soon as the prey is 10-15 centimeters from it, the fish becomes active and swallows it whole along with the flow of water.

Reproduction

Scorpion fish spawn in the warm season. The fish spawns from July to September in separate portions. The eggs are enclosed in a mucous membrane, which dissolves before the larvae hatch. The fry live in the water column, and then descend to depth and lead a bottom lifestyle.
Scorpionfish venom can cause inflammation and allergic reaction. If you are injured by a poisonous ruff, treat the wound with an anti-inflammatory agent and take an antihistamine.
The meat of the Black Sea ruffe is suitable for food. It is used to make aspic or use it to cook fish soup.

Scorpionfish is a genus of fish that belongs to the scorpionfish family. Latin name Scorpaena.

This fish big head, somewhat compressed on the sides and armed with spikes. In addition, there are leathery appendages in the form of tentacles on the head. She has big mouth with an oblique cut. There are velvety teeth on the jaws and on the vomer.

Medium sized scales. There are 12-13 spiny and 9 soft rays on the dorsal fin, 3 spiny and 5 soft on the anal fin. The pectoral fins have no separate rays, the lower ones are thickened. The scorpion fish does not have a swim bladder.

There are approximately 40 species of scorpionfish in the world, living in tropical and warm seas.

Scorpionfish are fish with a repulsive appearance.

These are rather lazy creatures, spending most of their time hiding in the sand or between stones among plants, waiting in ambush for prey, which become small fish. Pectoral fins help these fish bury themselves in the sand and crawl along the bottom. The coloring of scorpionfish is quite diverse, not only among different individuals of the same species, but even among the same fish. Overall it's a mixture different colors– yellow, red, brown and black. Scorpionfish are not large in size and are rarely longer than 30 cm and weigh no more than 500 grams.

Lives in the Black Sea black sea scorpionfish or, as it is also called, the Black Sea ruffe, Latin name which Scorpaena porcus. It was this fish that gave the name to everything big family scorpionfish. In addition to the Black Sea, it can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea along the African and European coasts. Sometimes found in the Sea of ​​Azov. Prefers to stay in coastal zone, where it waits for prey, lying on the bottom. Scorpionfish main menu - small fish and crustaceans.

When a gaping fish or large crustacean finds itself at a distance of 10-15 cm from the sea ruffe, it makes a sharp jerk, opening its mouth wide, and literally sucks in the prey along with the water. And in order to camouflage well in anticipation of a potential dinner, it needs the kind of camouflage coloring that we described above. Scorpionfish also have a property that is extremely rare for fish - it molts. This happens approximately once every 28 days. At the same time, the upper dull layer of scorpion skin is shed, and in its place a new one appears, with a brighter color. Scorpionfish shed their skin just like snakes - like a cover.

The scorpionfish is capable of hunting only moving objects, which the lateral line organs help it to detect, most of all the development in the head area. With the help of these organs, scorpion fish can capture water currents created by any moving object. Thanks to this property, scorpion fish can hunt successfully even at night. If the caught object is not of food interest to the scorpionfish, then it spits it out. The scorpionfish protects itself from enemies with the help of its spines, and their prick can be very painful for humans.

Scorpionfish hunt only moving prey.

Scorpionfish lay eggs in small portions, each enclosed in a transparent mucous membrane. These unique mucus balloons float to the surface of the water. By the time the larvae are ready to hatch, the balloons disintegrate and the eggs are released from the common shell. For some time, and not for long, the hatched juveniles remain in the water column, after which they descend to the bottom, where they pass future life scorpion Little fish are caught, mostly they are caught together with other fish.

The holiday season is in full swing and right now many are packing their bags to go somewhere on the Black Sea coast. Someone is attracted to leisure and fishing, while others prefer to splash in the warm coastal waves. But both It should be remembered that among the inhabitants of the Black Sea there are also poisonous creatures, personal acquaintance with which can not only ruin your vacation, but even cause death.

Therefore, for everyone who is planning to spend their vacation in the South or is simply curious, here are the names and photos poisonous fish Black Sea.

Scorpion - sea ​​fish, outwardly very reminiscent of an ordinary river ruff. For this similarity, the scorpionfish received a second, unofficial name - sea ruff. Unlike its freshwater counterpart, the sea ruffe has much big sizes. The average weight of a standard individual is 400-500 g, although if desired, you can find specimens weighing up to 1 kg and up to 35 cm in length. But this is still a rarity, which is difficult to discover. great luck, if, of course, you can call a meeting with a rather dangerous fish that way.

The scorpionfish's spines are located not only on the back, but also on the head. There is a poison gland inside each needle. When injected, the poison instantly enters the tissues of the victim, who experiences severe burning pain. Over the next two hours, a person may develop a fever and swelling in the affected area. And although history does not know any deaths, there is still little pleasant from meeting this poisonous fish of the Black Sea.

Scorpionfish are especially dangerous during the spawning period, which begins in late spring and lasts until the first days of June. So at this time you need to be careful, especially fishermen who encounter the sea ruff much more often than ordinary vacationers.

You can avoid the serious consequences of being pricked by scorpionfish thorns by treating the affected area with hydrogen peroxide, which completely neutralizes the poison. In addition, it has long been noticed that fishermen who have survived several stings of the sea ruffe develop immunity to their poison, due to which pain is completely absent.

Ordinary vacationers may encounter scorpionfish in shallow water, where this fish often hunts in the pre-dawn hours. So, when walking along the beach, you need to carefully look at your feet so as not to accidentally step on a sea ruffe lurking in the sand.

Concluding the conversation about scorpion fish, let us note the gastronomic features of this fish. Most often, fish soup is made from it, which turns out to be very rich, tasty and absolutely safe. The fillet parts of the carcass can be fried or dried, resulting in an excellent snack for beer.

One of the first places in the ranking of poisonous fish in the Black Sea and the entire Mediterranean basin is occupied by a small fish called the sea dragon. Also, fishermen often call it a snake or an underwater scorpion, which already says a lot about the danger of this fish.

An adult reaches 40 cm in length and is very similar in appearance to a goby, which Black Sea coast is the main catch of fishermen. This similarity only increases the danger posed by the sea dragon.

The main weapon of an underwater scorpion is poisonous spines, which are located on the gills and in the head area. Moreover, it is interesting that the danger can come even from dead fish, since the poisonous glands continue to act for several hours.

Even light touch they can cause severe pain in a person, the affected area instantly swells, and the swelling can reach monstrous proportions. If measures are not taken in time, the person’s temperature rises and severe chills begin. But these are only visible consequences. What is more dangerous is what happens inside the body. And there pulmonary edema develops at a very high rate, possibly impaired cardiac function and even loss of consciousness.

As in the case of scorpionfish, The main first aid remedy is hydrogen peroxide. But it can only partially weaken the poison, which will make it possible to deliver the victim to a hospital or emergency room without serious consequences. If you don’t have peroxide on hand, you can treat the injection site very well. hot water – Under the influence high temperatures toxins are destroyed.

Experienced fish use the old-fashioned method. A match is applied to the affected area, which is then ignited by another burning match. It is stated that if such a procedure is carried out in the first few minutes, complications can be completely avoided.

Just like almost all poisonous fish of the Black Sea, sea ​​dragon is quite edible, moreover, the meat of this fish is not fatty and very tender. However, before preparing a fish dish, you need to carefully cut off the poisonous spines located on the gills and dorsal fin.

Sea cow or stargazer

By studying the names and photos of poisonous fish in the Black Sea, you can find very unusual creature with bulging eyes and strange spikes on his head. This is a sea cow or stargazer - a predator fish that, when hunting, buries itself completely in the sand, leaving only its eyes on the surface. In this position, the eyes resemble telescopes, which nimbly rotate in different directions in search of prey. Hence it is so unusual name- astrologer.

The thorns mentioned above are poisonous, but the main danger does not come from them. The entire body of the stargazer is covered with a thick layer of mucus, the touch of which with an unprotected hand threatens a person with a serious chemical burn.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that the sea cow looks somewhat reminiscent of harmless gobies, so inexperienced fishermen often grab the caught fish with their bare hands. Local residents, of course, will not allow such an oversight, but visitors often become victims of the astrologer.

Ordinary vacationers should be wary sea ​​cow It’s not worth it - it lives quite far from the shore, so you can only encounter it while fishing. But if, nevertheless, the unpredictable fate of a holidaymaker brings him together with an astrologer, then the affected area should be immediately treated with hydrogen peroxide, and then, as soon as possible, go to the nearest point for medical help.