What Does Stonefish Eat?

Feeding. The reef stonefish eats mostly small fish, shrimp and other crustaceans. It captures prey by sitting motionless on the reef floor and waiting for animals to swim by. The stonefish will then engulf its prey, doing so at incredible speeds.

Does the stonefish have any predators?

Stonefish is a slow swimmer, except when it chases the prey. Stonefish has several predators, such as big sharks (great white and tiger shark) and rays. Unlike other species of fish, stonefish is able to survive 24 h outside the water.

How big do stonefish get?

Commonly grows up to 16 inches (40 centimeters). These fish feed on other reef fishes and bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Reef stonefish are solitary except during the mating season, when they will aggregate with others. The female will lay her gelatinous egg mass while swimming across the seafloor.