Scorpion (ruff sea) - a formidable inhabitant of the sea depths

In the Black Sea or the Sea of Azov you can find a very interesting fish, which has an unusual and formidable appearance, reminiscent of a real sea monster. A large head covered with outgrowths , huge protruding eyes, a large mouth with thick lips and a set of sharp teeth, rays of the dorsal fin, similar to real spines. Called this formidable inhabitant of the sea depths - the ruff of the sea, or in another way, scorched.

A small but formidable predator

This monster refers to a large family of scorpionfish - marine radiant fish - included in the group of scorpion-shaped and numbering more than 20 genera and 209 species. Representatives of this family live in the waters of tropical and temperate seas, but most prefer the Indo-Pacific region. Directly the genus Scorpion (ruff sea-representative of the genus), numbering 62 species, is distributed in the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean and the seas belonging to their basins.

In our country, you can find two species of scorpion - scorpion noticeable and Black Sea scorpion (sea ruff). The Black Sea, by the way, is not the only place where this amazing fish lives. It was even seen in fresh water in the mouth of the Shapsuho River in the Caucasus, not to mention the Azov Sea.

Scorpion - the fish is relatively small, on average, its size does not exceed 15-20 cm. Rare specimens reach a length of half a meter. In its way of life the ruff of the sea belongs to predators. The basis of its diet is small fry, crustaceans, invertebrates. Since the sea ruff is very difficult to see even from a close distance, he does not chase his prey, but lies motionlessly at the bottom and waits for the victim to approach him himself, after which he makes a short rapid throw.

Careful, scorched!

The sea ruff is really very formidable. The body of the scorpion has an elongated, somewhat compressed lateral shape, covered with fine rough scales, and a fin consisting of a series of sharp spines. Especially impressive is a large head, covered with numerous spines and outgrowths, as well as a large, broad mouth. The ruffled sea ruff is quite mottled: a brown background, the shade of which can be very different, is strewn with a lot of dark spots and stripes. The same spots and bands are found on the fins. A peculiarity of scorpion is that it periodically sheds (on average - once a month). In this case, the top layer of the skin is discarded by stocking (like a snake), under which is a new one - more fresh and bright.

At the base of the spines covering the body of scorpion, there are channels in which the deadly poison is found. But the ruffle uses its poisonous thorns exclusively for the purpose of protection. If a thorn gets stuck in the body, a poison is injected into the wound, from which the site of the prick swells and begins to ache very badly, like from a bite of a wasp. With multiple wounds, even a lethal outcome is possible (which is extremely rare). In this case, you need to do everything possible so that the injection site bleeds as much as possible to prevent further ingestion of the poison into the body, treat this place with hot water and go to a medical institution, even if the pain begins to gradually come down. By the way, when cleaning already caught fish, too, it is necessary to comply with security measures.

Despite the threatening appearance, the sea ruff, whose photo reminds of real monsters, is not just edible - its white and juicy meat is considered a real delicacy. From the scorpion you can cook many delicious dishes. Especially popular are the ear and ruff baked in foil. Therefore, they often become a desirable prey for lovers of fishing or underwater hunting, because in view of their lack of mobility they allow you to swim close to yourself.