Stonefish

Description

Found on sandy and rubble reef bottoms, often under rocks or ledges, the stonefish dominates the title for the most venomous and dangerous fish in the sea. Looking like an encrusted rock or lump of coral, it waits for prey to swim past, then strikes at great speed. Its stout dorsal spines can inject a highly toxic venom that causes intense pain; an antivenom, developed in 1959, makes death less likely.