Comments(0)
The world's most deadly fish can now be seen in a Cornish resort, but bathers need not worry, as they are safely behind glass as star attractions at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay.
The stonefish babies first arrived at the attraction on Towan Beach in January last year and have been closely monitored by the aquarium aquarists until they were able to feed properly and have now been moved to a prime location to be enjoyed by public.
Stonefish have rightly earned themselves the label of 'world's deadliest fish'.
They have thirteen dorsal spines that release a toxic poison when threatened or even stepped on. It can take less than an hour for the poison to kill a human if untreated by anti-venom.
They are part of a new exhibition, 'Dangerous Creatures', that can be found in the aquarium, which includes a snappy dwarf caiman, ferocious piranha and spikey sea urchins.
There is also a fact-finding trail and a hidden shark trail for visitors to take part in, as well as frequent daily talks featuring all the dangerous creatures.
The stonefish display at the Blue Reef Aquarium
Lara Heaney, displays supervisor, said: "The two stonefish were really small, only about 10cm long each when they first arrived here.
"We had to persevere with the feeding programme, introducing them to foods such as squid, sand eel, krill, mackerel and sprat to find what they preferred."
Their daily diet now consists mainly of mackerel and sprat and they have doubled in length.
Read more: 21 brilliant businesses that have opened in Cornwall this year
"They are much bigger and have become really confident characters," she said.
"They're often sat right up at the front of the display. We've moved them to a larger exhibit to give them more room, but even in the wild this species are not overly active creatures, preferring to lie around on the ocean bed waiting for their prey to arrive."
Since arriving at the aquarium the stonefish have always been a favourite of the visitors.
They are masters of camouflage and blend into their surroundings to look like, as their name suggests, a stone or a rock. The public enjoy trying to spot them and are often amazed by their clever disguise.
Read more: Local news here
Read more:
Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium stonefish twins are new stars - Cornwall Live
