SEAlebrity showcase: Meet Singa the red lionfish!

Meet Singa and learn from Becky, an aquarist at the Seattle Aquarium, about how we care for our resident SEAlebrity red lionfish. Becky will take you for a behind-the-scenes look at preparing Singa’s diet—then watch as she feeds Singa while sharing some cool lionfish facts.

Singa means “lion” in Indonesian. Native to the waters of the Indo-Pacific, lionfish have venomous spines that they use for self-defense. When hunting, they use their fan-like pectoral fins to “corner” their prey! These carnivorous fish can grow to be as long as 18 inches (but are typically closer to 12) and weigh as much as 2.5 pounds. They’re found at depths as shallow as 1 foot and as deep as 300—in pretty much every warm-water marine habitat, from coral reefs to mangrove forests and more.

Lionfish populations are stable in this fish’s native waters—but it’s a different story along the coast of the southeastern United States and in some areas of the Caribbean Sea. It’s unclear how lionfish made their way into these areas, but what’s known is that they’re considered an invasive species there. With no known predators in their new homes, voracious appetites (they prey on over 50 different species of fish!) and the ability to reproduce quickly, lionfish pose a serious threat to coral reefs and marine ecosystems outside their native waters. (Fast fact: female lionfish can lay between 10,000 and 30,000 eggs, every four days, year ‘round—that’s up to two million eggs per year!)

Meet SEAlebrity Singa in person with a visit to the Seattle Aquarium!

Plan your visit: https://www.seattleaquarium.org/
Learn more about red lionfish: https://www.seattleaquarium.org/animals/red-lionfish

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