Beware the Lion Fish

Lion Fish
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Another divinely lovely fish at the Sheraton is the Lion fish, who belongs to the Scorpion fish family. This is a very dangerous, poisonous and potentially lethal fish. They have venomous fin spines that can produce painful puncture wounds. A person punctured by one of the sharp spines will immediately feel strong pain and experience rapid swelling of the affected body area, rendering movement of limbs very difficult. Yow. The venom in the spines remains active for days, so even discarded spines should be treated with caution. Thankfully, fatalities are rare. Examine this fish carefully and keep your fingers out of the tank!! The only question I have after admitting my own personal fascination with the beauty of the fish... if it's so dangerous why do we keep it so near? But then again, I never understand why people keep dangerous animals as family pets either. Of course who am I to talk? I have Toby, a lusciously plush feline who bites and scratches like a demon. Visitors be warned!