There are fish in Anapa, with which it is better not to meet one on one in the sea, but it is advisable to try it fried in the resort's cafe. Such formidable representatives of the underwater flora of the Black Sea Sea include the sea ruff or scorpionfish.

The scorpionfish lives in many southern and tropical countries where tourists like to relax. Our sea ruff is the northernmost scorpion species that lives in the Black Sea, loves coastal rocky places. The fish can be found on the High Coast, the beaches of Utrish and Sukko. The sea ruff has a reddish-brown coloration, for good camouflage in dense seaweed and rocks, and is about 15-20 centimeters in size. Lateral and dorsal poisonous fins sea ruff spreads when threatened. This species must be handled with care as you may suffer from an injection.

How to protect yourself from a scorpion sting

It is not as easy for a simple bather to step on a ruff as it might seem. Usually, when a person approaches, the scorpion swims away quickly. You need to be careful when the sea is rough and stormy, because. Ruff at this time is not so easy to notice the bathers. The main injuries occur when a person tries to get to know the Black Sea ruff. Fishermen, divers and divers who try to touch or unhook a scorpionfish stumble upon poisonous spikes.

What to do with an injection of the Black Sea ruff

If you are a victim of a scorpion stab, don't panic, no one has died from it yet. When injected, poison enters the body. The victim needs rest. The wound site, usually the heel or foot, must be dipped in hot water (temperature 45-50 degrees). You can take antiallergic drugs. Usually unpleasant symptoms disappear in one or two days.

How to cook ruff

Sea ruff is a delicacy, you can try it in fish. Very tasty fried fillet of sea ruff and ear.

Scorpion fish

Poisonous fish of unusual color scorpion attracts the eye. The Black Sea ruff pricks the fins of its offenders with sharp needles, but often becomes an object for fishing by fishermen.

Scorpion is an inhabitant of the waters of the Black and Mediterranean seas. They have an unusual appearance and unique coloring. She rarely moves and prefers to wait for prey near the sandy bottom or among the stones overgrown with algae.

Short description

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

On the body of a scorpionfish there are many patches of skin, dark spots and outgrowths, it is bumpy. This makes it possible for the fish to disguise themselves as stones and attack their prey suddenly.

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

The coloring 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, raspberry and pink Black Sea ruffs.

habitats

The scorpionfish lives in the coastal waters of the Black and Mediterranean Seas, off the European and African coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is located in rocky depressions and cracks, thickets of bottom algae, on dark stones.

Nutrition

This fish is a nocturnal predator, lying in wait for its prey in ambush, disguised as a stone. The scorpion is immobile. It feeds on crustaceans and small fish, which it catches with lateral organs. The Black Sea ruff is quite sharp, as soon as the victim is 10-15 centimeters away from him, the fish becomes active and swallows it whole along with the flow of water.

reproduction

Spawning of scorpionfish falls on the warm season. The fish spawns from July to September in separate portions. The eggs are enclosed in a mucous membrane that dissolves before the larvae hatch. The fry live in the water column, and then sink to the depths and lead a bottom lifestyle.
Scorpion venom can cause inflammation and an allergic reaction. If you have been injured by a poisonous ruff, treat the wound with an anti-inflammatory agent and take an antihistamine.
The meat of the Black Sea ruff is suitable for food. Aspic is prepared from it or used for cooking fish soup.

While snorkeling underwater, I have seen perhaps two main types of fish. The former live in the water column and, at the sight of an underwater swimmer, they immediately try to hide from sight, sailing away, or hiding in crevices between stones. The latter, apparently, rely on their natural disguise. These are mostly demersal species hiding among rocks and algae. Until recently, they prefer to believe that they were not noticed. To do this, they have all the tools: camouflage coloring, which makes them invisible against a colorful background among stones, entire forests of algae that hide them from prying eyes, and, as the last line of defense, various poisonous spikes and other troubles for a predator. Here in the photo and video is a typical example of such a fish - black sea scorpion ruff, she is sea ​​ruff, she is scorpid(lat. Scorpaena porcus). I met her at a shallow depth in Omega Bay in Sevastopol when I was snorkeling there. On this day, the sea was very rough and the algae constantly swayed in all directions. The sea ruff lay at the bottom, and the current completely hid, then exposed its body in thickets of algae. But apparently, he considered them reliable protection, because he allowed me to get close enough without sudden movements. Or maybe he just hoped for his poisonous thorns in case of my aggression. Anyway, he allowed a few still pictures and a few seconds of video to be taken before he fled, frightened of something.

In the Black and Azov Seas, as well as in the Kerch Strait, you can see a rather interesting fish, nicknamed the sea ruff or small scorpionfish. It is interesting to watch her, but it is absolutely not worth getting to know her closely. This is one of the most unfriendly marine inhabitants, besides, its spines, located throughout the body, are quite poisonous.

This is a real monster - a large head covered with outgrowths, horns, bulging crimson eyes, a huge mouth with thick lips. The rays of the dorsal fin are turned into sharp spines, which the scorpionfish, if disturbed, spreads; at the base of each ray is a poisonous gland. This is the protection of the ruff from predators, its weapon of defense.

And the weapon of attack - the jaws with many sharp crooked teeth - are intended for careless fish that approached the scorpion at a distance of its swift, furious throw. The whole appearance of the scorpion speaks of its danger; and at the same time it is beautiful - and there are scorpions of very different colors - black, gray, brown, raspberry-yellow, pink ...

Due to the fact that this fish is quite difficult to see at the bottom, many of its victims literally swim into its mouth. She doesn't even have to specifically hunt down someone. Sea ruffs grab prey, making a sudden short throw, characteristic of other scorpions, and swallow it. The scorpionfish feeds on small fish and various crustaceans.

These spiny predators lurk between stones, under algae, and, like all bottom fish, change color to match the color of their surroundings, can quickly lighten or darken depending on the light. They hide the scorpion and numerous outgrowths, spikes and leathery tentacles, turning it into one of the stones, overgrown with marine vegetation. Therefore, it is difficult to notice her, and she herself relies so much on her inconspicuousness that she swims away (more precisely, flies away like a bullet from a gun!) Only if you get close to her. Sometimes you can even touch it - but you just don’t need to do this - you’ll prick! It is more interesting, lying on the surface of the water and breathing through a tube, to watch the scorpionfish hunt ...

The danger of the sea ruff is that when you accidentally disturb him, he will not even think of sailing away. On the contrary, it raises the dorsal spines and assumes a protective posture, bending the body into a crescent. Without noticing it among sea stones and algae, you can easily stumble upon it.

Wounds from scorpion thorns cause burning pain, the area around the injections turns red and swells, then general malaise, fever, and your rest is interrupted for a day or two. Ruff poison is especially dangerous in early spring: at this time of the year, due to the rise in hormone levels, the poison becomes the most toxic. If you have suffered from the thorns of a ruff, consult a doctor. Wounds should be treated like normal scratches. The main symptoms of sea ruff poisoning are local inflammation (where they pricked) and a general allergic reaction. There are no known deaths from scorpion stings. No one accidentally steps on it either - curious divers and fishermen suffer from its thorns when they remove the ruff from the hook or take it out of the net. By the way, the sea ruff is a very tasty fish, but you need to clean it carefully - the poison is preserved even in a scorpionfish that has lain in the refrigerator.

The scorpionfish has interesting features - it regularly sheds, shedding worn-out skin like a snake, in a stocking, sometimes up to twice a month. Moreover, the better the conditions in which the fish lives, and the more food, the more often these molts occur.

It lives in the Eastern Atlantic, from the British to the Azores, in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, sometimes it comes across in the Sea of ​​Azov. Predator. Keeps in the coastal zone and spends most of the time lying in thickets of vegetation on a rocky bottom, waiting for prey. Previously, it was one of the most common fish in the coastal strip, is now much less common.

Scorpion is a genus of fish that belongs to the scorpion family. Latin name Scorpaena.

This fish has a large 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 a large mouth with a slanted slit. There are velvety teeth on the jaws and on the vomer.

Scales of medium size. The dorsal fin has 12-13 spiny and 9 soft rays, and the anal fin has 3 spiny and 5 soft rays. The pectoral fins have no separate rays, the lower ones are thickened. The scorpionfish lacks a swim bladder.

In the world, there are approximately 40 species of scorpions living in tropical and warm seas.

These are rather lazy creatures, spending most of their time hiding in the sand or between stones among plants, waiting in such an ambush for prey, which become small fish. The pectoral fins help these fish to burrow into the sand and crawl along the bottom. The coloration of scorpions is quite diverse, and not only in different individuals of the same species, but even in the same fish. In general, it is a mixture of different colors - yellow, red, brown and black. Scorpionfish are not large and are rarely longer than 30 cm and weigh no more than 500 grams.

The Black Sea scorpionfish lives in the Black Sea, or, as it is also called, the Black Sea sea ruff, the Latin name of which is Scorpaena porcus. It was this fish that gave its name to the entire large scorpion family. 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. It prefers to stay in the coastal zone, where it lies in wait for prey, lying on the bottom. The main menu of scorpionfish is small fish and crustaceans.

When a gaping fish or a large crustacean finds itself at a distance of 10-15 cm from the sea ruff, it makes a sharp jerk, while opening its mouth wide, and literally sucks in the prey along with the water. And in order to be well camouflaged in anticipation of a potential dinner, he needs such a camouflage coloration, which we described above. The scorpionfish also has a property that is extremely rare for fish - it sheds. This happens with a frequency of approximately once every 28 days. At the same time, the upper tarnished layer of the skin of the scorpion sheds off, and a new one with a brighter color appears in its place. Scorpion shed their skin just like snakes - like a cover.

The scorpionfish is able to hunt only moving objects, which the lateral line organs help it to detect, most of all development in the head area. With the help of these organs, the scorpion can catch water currents created by any moving object. Thanks to this property, the scorpionfish can successfully hunt even at night. If the caught object is not of food interest for the scorpionfish, then it spits it out. A scorpionfish defends itself from enemies with the help of its thorns, and their injection can be very painful for a person.

Spawning by scorpions is carried out in small portions, each enclosed in a transparent mucous membrane. These peculiar balloons of mucus 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 quite a short time, the hatched juveniles stay in the water column, after which it descends to the bottom, where the scorpions continue their life. Little sea ruff is caught, mostly it comes across with other fish.

Fish of the order of sea ruffs take the second place after stingrays in terms of the number of poisonous injections inflicted on people. Poisonous spiny rays are present in all fins, except for the pectorals. At the base of each ray are 2 poisonous glands. The thorn itself is covered with a freely hanging skin, which, when pricked, moves down and presses on the poisonous gland. The secret of the gland pours out and enters the wound along the hollow running along the spine. The venom is a high molecular weight protein. You can get an injection not only at sea, fishing, diving or just wandering in shallow water, but also at home if you keep scorpion fish in an aquarium (many aquarists find these fish not only interesting, but also beautiful).

According to the structure of poisonous organs and the strength of the poison, ruffs can be divided into 4 groups. The least venomous are groupers of the genus Sebastes, although they can inflict a dangerous sting. A thorn wound sometimes causes complications that incapacitate a person for several weeks or even months, or even leave a mark for life: the finger loses the ability to bend and unbend. But sea bass are deep-sea creatures, they are not found off our shores, but are sold in fish stores called rotbash. In lionfish, the spines are long and thin, the venom glands are small, and the jabs are relatively weak. Scorpions have shorter and thicker spines, larger venom glands, and stronger jabs. Fish-stones have short strong powerful spikes, well-developed poisonous glands, their injections can be fatal to humans.

After an injection of a scorpion fish on a 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 is numb and swollen. The pain begins to subside sometimes 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 spikes stuck, and the physical condition of the victim. Especially dangerous are deep injections inflicted by several thorns at once. With repeated wounds, a person gradually acquires immunity to fish poison and suffers from it less and less.

Since there are a lot of legends, often unreliable, about sea ruffs and their relatives, as well as about any dangerous creatures, I used an article by an American doctor, Dr. Scott Gallagher “Lionfish and Stonefish” to refute them.

Descriptions of the tragic consequences of pricks of scorpion fish roam from site to site. Even the professional ichthyology website FishBase says that in the lionfish Pterois miles "the rays of the fins are very poisonous, can cause death of people."

And here is what Dr. Gallagher writes: Doctors described 101 reliable cases of an injection on 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 lesions were characterized by erythema (redness), blistering in 4%, and tissue necrosis in 1%.

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

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

First aid

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

Hot baths are a good method for initial detoxification. This method helps not only with injections of scorpionfish, but also rays, sea urchins and other marine animals with poisonous spines, since some of the venom 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 hotter water. But there is another opinion: the water for the bath should be as hot as the victim can endure. Processing time - 30-90 minutes. If the pain returns, the procedure must be repeated. But in any case, the bath is made after the removal of the thorns.

An antidote has been developed against the poison of stone fish, but it is effective only if it is 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 stings of scorpionfish are caused by misbehaving people: careless walking on the bottom, awkward handling by aquarists, or aggressive behavior of swimmers. As a rule, it is impossible to notice these fish at 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. Remember that swimming shoes or scuba equipment do not provide complete protection. Poison beams can puncture rubber. In the water, try to walk with a shuffling gait without taking your feet off the substrate. Seeing a lionfish, scorpionfish or warty, do not touch them, and even more so do not drive them into the corners of shelters, otherwise they, defending themselves, may rush at you. Aquarists keeping these fish must be very careful.