, or the Black Sea scorpion-ruff, or the scorpid, or the Black Sea scorpion (lat. Scorpaena porcus) is a fish that gave its name to the extensive Scorpion family.

Signs. Large head, devoid of scales, with a characteristic depressed forehead and a number of sharp spines. There are numerous skin appendages on the head.

the front of dorsal fin with hard rays, at the base of which there are poisonous glands. Pectoral fins large, rounded, with a thickened lower beam.

related forms. The closest are Scorpaena scrofa and Scorpaena notata, then northern waters sea ​​bass, Sebastes, and Pacific Ruffs, Sebastodes.

Spreading. Swimming pool mediterranean sea: Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea; Atlantic Ocean; in Russia - the Black Sea.

BIOLOGY OF THE BLACK SEA ROUCH

Feature . Black Sea sea ​​ruff- marine, bottom fish that lives in the coastal zone on hard ground. Inactive, prefers relatively calm water, inhabiting mainly bays; does not go deeper than 40 m. Avoids desalinated areas. It has the ability to camouflage, taking on a color similar to environment.

Spawning. In the Black Sea, it occurs from May to August at a water temperature of 12-19 °. Mass spawning is noted mainly in sheltered bays.

Black Sea sea ruff (Scorpaena porcus)

Development . Pelagic caviar, tied into elongated balloons with transparent slime. The diameter of the eggs is 1.1-1.3 mm. Larvae, when off, are 2.6 mm long. They stay in the surface layers of water. In September, already fully formed fry reach a length of 10-20 mm.

Growth. The Black Sea sea ruff at the age of seven to eight years reaches a length of 30 cm (in the Black Sea). In commercial catches, individuals aged two to three years, 8-12 cm long and weighing 20-60 g predominate.

The greatest growth in length is observed in March - June, and an increase in weight - in June - September. The Black Sea sea ruff reaches sexual maturity at the age of three years.

Nutrition. The Black Sea sea ruff is a predator that feeds on small fish(mainly gobies, atherinka, greenfinches) and crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, mysids). Commercial fish species in the diet of the ruff make up about 4.5% of all food consumed. Juveniles feed mainly on mysids.

The most intense feeding is observed from July to October, the least - from January to April. In winter, intervals in meals reach 30 days, but a complete cessation of nutrition is not observed.

Competitors. Predatory species bychkov, sea ​​cow(Uranoscopus scaber), snake (Trachinus draco). However, there is not much competition due to some differences in habitats.

Enemies are few. Small ruffs are consumed in small quantities by sea cats, as well as large ruffs.

Migrations. The Black Sea sea ruff is a sedentary fish; it does not make any significant migrations. Only seasonal movements are observed from the coast to great depths(up to 40 m), which is associated with excessive cooling (below 12°) or, conversely, overheating of water (over 23°) in the coastal zone.

FISHING FOR THE BLACK SEA Ruff

It only matters in local markets. There is no special fishery in the waters of Russia, and catches are not taken into account separately. According to experimental seine fishing, off the coast of Sevastopol (depth 5-15 m) ruff is 10% of total number fish caught and 55% by weight. An average of 125 fish are caught in one netting of a seine. At a depth of 20-40 m, there are 50 fish per haul of the trawl.

In the region of Istanbul (Turkey), the Black Sea sea ruffe is caught in the amount of 60-120 centners per year.

Technique and the course of the fishery. Caught during all year round in the coastal zone with nets, fixed nets, nets and fishing rods.

The largest catch off the coast of Crimea is in May-June and September-October, off the coast of Turkey - in July-August.

When choosing the caught fish, care must be taken to avoid painful pricks from the prickly rays of the Black Sea sea ​​ruff.

Usage . It is sold fresh in local markets. The meat is delicious.

Scorpion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish. Scorpionfish live in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the seas of their basins. They are very common on the islands of the Malay Archipelago, in the Philippines and in Thailand. One of the northernmost representatives is the Black Sea scorpionfish or, as it is also called, the sea ruff. Its habitat is the Black Sea, the Kerch Strait. Although rare, it can also be found in the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. In general, all species live exclusively in salt water, preferring coastal zones and shallow waters of coral atolls. However certain types can be located at a depth of up to 2000 m. The sea ruff leads a sedentary lifestyle.

The scorpion is considered one of the most dangerous marine life. Even the name of the fish, which translates as "scorpion fish", indicates its strong toxicity.

The color palette of most scorpion species is dominated by red-brown tones, which, in combination with large quantity small motley spots, lines, stains allow the fish to be completely invisible on a multi-colored background coral reef or seabed.

A specific notch divides the dorsal fin of the scorpionfish into two parts. 7-17 rays in the front and 1 ray in the back turned into sharp spines. Besides, in pelvic fins there is 1 spine, in the anal - 2-3. At the base of each spine is a venom gland that secretes poison. The poison flows out through two grooves. It is worth noting that there are thorns on the cheeks of the scorpionfish, but the poison does not flow through them.

How to protect yourself from a scorpion sting

Firstly, while diving, swimming in the habitats of scorpions, be especially careful, because due to the skillful disguise of the sea ruff, it is not always possible to detect in time against the background of the surrounding landscape.

Secondly, be vigilant and while walking along the beach, wear shoes with thick soles, as the scorpion often throws a wave ashore.

Thirdly, remember that scorpion fish can be caught in nets and on fishing rods as an accompanying fish. Having accidentally caught her on a hook, do not fuss and do not try to knock her down, as this is fraught with getting an injection in the most unexpected place. Just stun the fish with a suitable item. Put the caught fish in a canvas fish bag. For manipulations with scorpionfish, including butchering it, use gloves or mittens made of canvas fabric.

Fourth, when keeping a scorpionfish in an aquarium, in no case do not touch it with your bare hands.

What are the consequences of a scorpion injection

When injected into the wound, poison immediately penetrates, which belongs to high-molecular heat-labile proteins. The poison affects mainly the respiratory and vascular systems.

A prick of a thorn very quickly causes sharp pain, which increases over time and spreads further along the lymphatic vessels. Pain shock may develop, which leads to loss of consciousness. Plus, when poisoned with scorpion poison, the following are observed:

• pressure drop,
• swelling and numbness of the affected body part,
• pulmonary edema.

Among other things, lymphangitis develops first, then lymphadenitis, which can persist for several days. A limited area of ​​necrosis occurs at the punctured site. Concerning common symptoms poisoning, they are not acute.

Symptoms do not disappear in a few days, but death from poisoning with scorpion venom is a rather rare phenomenon.

In some cases it may develop allergic reaction, which is accompanied by vomiting, shortness of breath, inappropriate behavior, loss of consciousness.

A scorpion prick is also fraught with the introduction of a secondary infection into the wound. Even infectious pericarditis has been recorded, which arose as a result of contact with a sea ruff.

What should not be done when pricked scorpionfish

• It is forbidden to apply a tourniquet to the affected limb, as this can lead to a deterioration in the condition of the victim and the development of complications.
• It is also impossible to cut the wounds. Such manipulations do not contribute to the removal of poison, but only provide additional trauma to the victim.
• You should not cauterize the punctured place for the same reasons that were discussed in the previous paragraphs.
• Do not inject a solution of potassium permanganate and other strong oxidizing agents into the affected area. This is not only ineffective, but also dangerous.
• In case of poisoning with scorpion venom, it is not recommended to drink alcohol, since it contributes to a more rapid spread and absorption of the poison.

What measures can be taken in case of a scorpion injection

1. Immediately after the injection, the victim should be provided with complete rest, laying him immediately on an impromptu or real stretcher, so as not to shift it in the future.

2. If necessary, remove the remaining needles in the wound.

3. If it is impossible to immediately deliver the victim to a medical facility, it is recommended to immerse the punctured site in the maximum possible hot water, of course, without bringing the situation to a burn. Optimum temperature water - 43-45 degrees. This procedure will help relieve pain to some extent and neutralize certain components of the poison under the influence of heat.

4. Then you should treat the wound with brilliant green, iodine or hydrogen peroxide and apply a sterile bandage on it. As edema increases, the bandage must be periodically loosened to avoid cutting into the tissue.

5. To slow down the spread of poison throughout the body, a splint can be placed on the pricked limb.

6. Among other things, you should provide the victim with plenty of fluids.

7. And, finally, and most importantly, the victim should be taken to a hospital as soon as possible, where doctors will provide him with the necessary medical care.

Interesting facts about scorpions and their injections

• The venom-producing apparatus of the scorpionfish is a bit similar to the device of poisonous teeth in snakes. In addition, the sea ruff also sheds periodically like a snake.
• The greatest danger is the scorpionfish, which lives off the coast of Australia. Every year, more than 120 people die from its poison.
• The scorpionfish is in the TOP 10 most poisonous marine life.
• Several cases of catching scorpions in fresh water have been recorded.

Scorpion fish

Poisonous fish of unusual color scorpion attracts the eye. 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 unusual view 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. Atlantic Ocean. It is located in rocky depressions and cracks, thickets of bottom algae, on dark stones.

Nutrition

This fish is nocturnal predator, lies 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 the scorpionfish falls on warm time of the year. 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.
Meat Black Sea ruff suitable for food. Aspic is prepared from it or used for cooking fish soup.

Many divers and fishermen know who the Black Sea scorpion is, who have repeatedly been burned by its sharp and poisonous thorns. Some can't just float past unusual fish and become victims of curiosity, others hunt for delicious meat which comes at the cost of pain. The beauty of the sea ruff is deceptive, behind it lies a self-confident predator, able to stand up for himself and fight back.

Spreading

The Black Sea scorpionfish is a native inhabitant of the Eastern Atlantic, from Britain to the Strait of Gibraltar, the northwestern coast of Africa, the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It also comes across in Azov, but not so often. Being a completely marine and salty-demanding fish, it does not swim in estuaries and estuaries.

Leading a passive benthic lifestyle, it is most often found at depths up to 40 meters, but it can go even deeper. Favorite places are coastal kelp beds and rocky areas of shallow water, where fish can lie in ambush for days without moving.

Description

The Latin name for the scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus) gave its name to a family of more than 200 species of fish, and the Black Sea fish is also often called the sea ruff or scorpion ruff. This is a small fish, with a large flattened muzzle, large lips and bulging eyes, over which spike-like tentacles grow. The head is covered with tubercles and shreds of skin; powerful jaws with small teeth are located in the mouth. sharp teeth, on the gill covers there are several thorns-growths.

The dorsal fin is long, consisting of a couple of dozen rays, some of which are hard and prickly (12), the other is soft (9), in the anal fin 3 and 5, respectively. Breast soft, big size, with 16-18 veins, and on the tail there are three vertical stripes. The scales of the scorpionfish are medium in size, spotted camouflage color, which is dominated by brown colors, dark and light colors. There are also tubercles and skin patches along the body, helping the fish to merge with the environment. On average, it grows up to 15-20 centimeters in length (maximum - 40 cm), by weight - 500-600 grams (individual individuals - 0.9-1.5 kilograms).

The Black Sea scorpionfish has two features: it is poisonous fish and she knows how to shed. Molting occurs similarly to that of a snake, when the skin peels off completely, in a “cover”, with a frequency of up to 2 times a month, but usually this is a lunar cycle. The frequency is affected by both the quality of nutrition of the sea ruff and the ecology of the habitat - than better conditions life, the more often the fish changes its skin.

The second feature is the poisonous glands located at the base of the fins. The poison, which is not destroyed even after the death of the fish, contains the rays and gill spines of the sea ruff.

Important! The Black Sea scorpionfish is not a shy fish, letting a person close to itself, therefore it seems to be an easy prey. This is far from true. From the injections of the inhabitant of the Black Sea has not yet been deaths but the poison is strong enough to cause strong pain, an allergic reaction and the need for medical attention.

Nutrition

Sea ruff is a predator. Lazy but efficient. The fish does not have a swim bladder, which is why it easily spends the whole day in ambush, patiently waiting for prey. Usually in algae or heaps of rocks. When prey appears, the scorpionfish rushes at the victim, swallowing it with a stream of water. The inedible is spit out.

A developed lateral line and processes on the head help to “see” and determine prey, catching the slightest fluctuations in water. Therefore, the fish is most active at night, easily navigating in the dark. The main prey are small fish, representatives of crustaceans and benthic invertebrates.

reproduction

The Black Sea sea ruff spawns in the summer, when the water is as warm as possible (July-September). Caviar is tossed in portions, enclosed in a lump of mucus, which floats into the upper layers of the sea. After the release of the fry, it remains at the surface for some time, but soon sinks to the bottom and acquires the bottom habits of adults. One female can spawn up to 350 thousand eggs per season.

Meaning

Poisonous spikes protect the juicy, delicious meat that the Black Sea scorpionfish possesses and is valued for its taste qualities. It is considered dietary, contains many vitamins and microelements, use improves metabolism in the body, favorably affects nervous system. At the same time, the characteristics of the fish and the difficulty in processing do not allow making it a commercial species.

In aquariums, scorpionfish are also frequent guests, especially tropical species, but require certain conditions and separate content, as they are able to destroy its other inhabitants. Often, the sea ruff can be found in the form of stuffed souvenirs on the shelves of the Black Sea cities.

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 it 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 quite 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 - 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 she is beautiful - and there are very scorpionfish 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.

Scorpio possesses interesting features- she sheds regularly, shedding - in a snake-like, stocking - worn-out skin, sometimes up to two times 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 most spends 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.