Lion-fishes are commonly found in coral reefs, lagoons and rocks. Their spines have stingers that are used for defense against predators and they are quite venomous. They are very good hunters and some of their favourite food includes small fish, mollusks, and invertebrates. They get close to their prey and lunge forward with their pectoral fins, swallowing their prey with just a single bite.
If food is scarce lion-fish can go three whole months without food and only lose 10% of their body mass. It is a relatively solitary animal only meeting up with other lion-fish to mate. Females lay thousands of eggs and once hatched the babies also known as “fry” live at the surface until they are big enough to swim to the reef. They can grow to around 12 to 15 inches long and weight roughly one kilogram.