Devil-faced fish - The most dangerous fish in the world

The devil-faced fish is recognized by Guinness World Records as having the largest venom gland of any other fish .

Picture 1 of Devil-faced fish - The most dangerous fish in the world
Devil-faced fish. (Photo: Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock).

The devil-faced fish has 13 poisonous spines hidden along its dorsal fin . They live on coral reefs and often hunt fish and crustaceans by lying motionless and waiting for their prey to approach and then attack quickly, according to the Australian Museum in Sydney.

The toxin from this fish is secreted from the spines on the fins running along the spine , containing extremely harmful toxins and can cause severe pain, even leading to death. The sharp, needle-like spines act as a defense mechanism and are raised upright when the fish feels threatened.

Each spike on the back is equipped with two external venom glands. The severity of the wound is judged on the basis of how many thorns the victim has come into contact with and the depth at which the thorns are embedded in the skin.


Dr. Jamie Seymour, a toxicologist at the Fisheries Research Institute, James Cook University, Australia tested the venom extract of stonefish, the most poisonous fish in the world, in a video posted on YouTube today. June 26, 2017, according to SmarterEveryDay .

Although the pain is described as extremely painful, some people believe that hot water therapy also has the effect of soothing the wound and neutralizing the poison while waiting for medical relief.

Biological researcher Bryan Fry, associate professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, said: "When the victim steps on the back of the fish, the venom gland will dilate and spray poison from the spines along the dorsal fin."

In 1959, an antivenom for this fish was developed to reduce the possibility of serious complications. Every year, hundreds to thousands of people step on this poisonous fish on the east coast of Australia.

"Devil-faced fish" is the name used to call 5 species of fish in the genus Synanceia, including species that often live on coral reefs (Synanceia verrucosa) and estuaries (Synanceia horrida). This fish is considered a "master of camouflage " with the skill of hiding among the coral or reefs at the bottom of the Indo-Pacific ocean.

Devil-faced fish is 30 - 40 cm long, good at camouflage and uses speed to hunt. After the fish identifies its prey, it makes a bite in just 0.015 seconds to swallow the opponent whole.