Decoding the mystery of the devil-faced fish known as “the king of venom at the bottom of the ocean

“The devil-faced fish is famous for its ability to camouflage itself in the sand near corals or reefs, making it extremely dangerous, especially for beachgoers who unfortunately step on it.

For those who love the sea, they must pay attention to a type of fish known as the “king of venom at the bottom of the ocean”. Because if you accidentally step on the sharp spines of this fish, you can die within 2 hours. That is the devil-faced fish.

Devil-faced fish usually live in shallow waters, especially rocky areas and coral reefs along islands. Currently, this fish species is mainly distributed in the coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans .

The devil-faced fish has a rock-like shape, making it easy to hide under sand or camouflage on rocks to hide from enemies.

The devil-faced fish impresses with its rough body, rough, patchy skin all over in reddish brown and moss color with many sharp fins on the spine. At first glance, they have a rock-like shape, making it easy to hide under sand or camouflage on rocks to hide from enemies.

Currently, there is no official document confirming the number of colors of devil-faced fish. The reason for the lack of statistics is that depending on the living environment conditions, the devil-faced fish will change its color accordingly to camouflage and hide from enemies. For example: some children’s whole bodies are red like lipstick, while others are dark black with blue dots; The rest are nothing more than dead corals…

When excited, the devil-faced fish will erect its sharp spines.

One of the reasons why most fishermen are afraid to “hunt” this fish is because of the deadly danger of its venom-filled spines. Leading experts in the industry say that the venom of this fish is concentrated mainly in the 13 sharp spines on its spine. At the base of each spike there are two venom glands ready to release the poison inside along the duct. When excited, devil-faced fish will erect sharp spines, according to the Queensland Museum.

When a fish fin hits a human (usually caught by a hand or stepped on by a foot), the fin rays will immediately penetrate 1cm deep into the victim’s flesh. At that time, toxins from under the spines will be sprayed into the air in a straight ray. standing, meaning inside the human body, directly affecting the motor system, nervous system and causing the smooth muscle of the human heart to swell, disrupting blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. Mild cases cause the victim to feel severe pain lasting up to 12 hours, accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, tremors, abnormal heart rate, convulsions and paralysis; In severe cases, death will occur within 2 hours.