Never before seen - grouper stalking and destroying a lionfish

[Pieces of the Ocean Verified Sponsor]

[video=youtube;HKLkQaMY8KQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKLkQaMY8KQ[/video]

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Love it!

 

[LetItReef]

Grouper's nudge and Lionfish is out.

 

[tautog83]

is that grouper still alive tho?

 

[TJ's Reef]

THAT is indeed very cool. I'm sure that the Grouper is fine as he/she swallowed Lion head first. We have two species in our cold Pacific waters that actively hunt/prey on Rockfish that are quite similar to their warm water Lionfish counterparts. Both Wolf Eels and Ling Cod have learned to safely deal with the extended spines by taking head first only. Loinfish may very well end up being a primary food source for the larger Groupers in time, overly abundant and not weary of predators.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Macropora]

Very cool video!

 

[Reefhunter007]

Nature always finds away to fix our mess ups" there should be more videos on this and also on how to properly dispose of pets we don't want anymore!!! Nice video

 

[Cjsanders757]

Cool to see how the lion fish tried to keep it's back spines towards the grouper.

 

[jt17]

This is good to see. Maybe there is hope. There's a show called Species of Mass Destruction that featured the lionfish and strategies to control them. One group was attempting to train sharks to recognize the lionfish as a food source. They maimed lionfish and presented them to sharks. The sharks would eat them but there was no footage of sharks hunting them on their own. With their high fecundity and ability to survive 800' below the surface, it's impossible to eradicate them but at least there may be some natural population control.

 

[tyler1503]

It looks like I'm one of the very few people who like lionfish and don't wana slaughter them.
It was pretty cool to see nature in all it's terrifying glory though. Plus I love a good predator fish!

 

[c_healy]

It looks like I'm one of the very few people who like lionfish and don't wana slaughter them.
It was pretty cool to see nature in all it's terrifying glory though. Plus I love a good predator fish!

The problem is that the lion fish are an invasive species, that until this video was thought to have no known predators.

Big problem when a species can just spread unchecked.

 

[tyler1503]

The problem is that the lion fish are an invasive species, that until this video was thought to have no known predators.

Big problem when a species can just spread unchecked.

I understand the effect they're having in areas where they're found outside their natural range. It's just sad to see something brutally killed for doing exactly what nature intended it to do.

 

[rayn]

I agree with Tyler on this. Nature has a way of taking care of things.

There was a article not to long ago I read that lions weren't so detrimental to the reef in other areas they were invasive. At least not as bad as originally thought.

My big hang up on all the "kill on the invasive lions" thought is it still isn't proven, nor will it ever be, how they got there. It is just a given that some irresponsible person chose to dump their fish in the ocean. Let's not forget that there have been a couple hurricanes and natural disasters that may have reclaimed those Lionfish.

 

[rayn]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSJPiyNszNZT0t3R24yeW40SDg/view?usp=sharing_eid




Here is that article. I got it from a friend, I claim no authorship to it in any way.

 

[Rob Top1]

God is such an amazing creator. Creating the Lionfish with all its rays and ability to keep them turned and pointed towards its threat but also the grouper who likely knew by instinct to position itself for a head first swallow.
Cool video, even cooler creator.

 

[Seagars]

Wow

 

[larryl]

Amazing video thanks for sharing.

 

[maroun.c]

Thanks for sharing.
I tend to believe this is not the first time this grouper has consumed a Lionfish looking at how carefully it herded it to open water to be able to attack the head first, as well as how carefully it hit the head first and then went to a head first swallow.

 

[jt17]

Thanks for sharing.
I tend to believe this is not the first time this grouper has consumed a Lionfish looking at how carefully it herded it to open water to be able to attack the head first, as well as how carefully it hit the head first and then went to a head first swallow.

You are right. That grouper had experience. The first report of a Carribean grouper eating a lionfish was in 2008 according to NOAA but this is the first it has been captured on video. Quite an efficient meal considering the lionfish most likely has anywhere from 4-20 undigested fish in his gut. The lionfish sympathizers should google lionfish stomach contents and maybe then they will understand the true impact this species is having on Carribean reefs. I feel more sympathy for the 10-20 reef fish they eat PER DAY.

 

[kevensquint]

The grouper seemed to know not to attack on its dorsal. You can see it trying to get under the lionfish the whole time.