Fish

Reef stonefish

Synanceia verrucosa

A still ambush fish of reef flats that looks like rubble. Watch where you step, never touch, and keep good buoyancy.

Least ConcernIn 25 Atlas countries

Least Concern (IUCN, 2018) means it is not at high risk of extinction worldwide today.

Pale reef stonefish resting between anemones in Kwajalein — Photo: Roger Rittmaster, iNaturalist, CC BY

Close view of a camouflaged stonefish face and mouth — Photo: Kai Squires, iNaturalist, CC BY

White stonefish on a reef slope in Bora Bora — Photo: Matt Muir, iNaturalist, CC BY

Stonefish covered in pink algae beside coral in the Red Sea — Photo: Tom Heijnen, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Commonly about 27 cm (11 in); largest recorded about 40 cm (16 in)

Weight

Typical weight not reliably measured; largest recorded about 2.4 kg (5.3 lb)

Next to a person

About as long as a forearm

What it eats

Small fish, crustaceans and sometimes squid or octopus, swallowed in a very fast ambush, often at night.

Around people

Potentially dangerous, respect

How it lives

The reef stonefish sits still on sand, rubble, reef flats and shallow lagoons, perfectly hidden, and waits for prey to come close. It lives alone. When disturbed, it usually stays still and raises its back spines instead of swimming away. Its back spines carry strong venom, one of the most medically serious of any fish. Injuries usually happen when someone steps on it or puts a hand on it.

Where it goes

Resident. It is a sit-and-wait ambush hunter that stays in one small area. No migration is known.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

It is the most widespread stonefish. It is found from the Red Sea and East Africa to French Polynesia, north to southern Japan and south to northern New South Wales and Western Australia. It lives from the shallows down to about 20 to 30 m, depending on the source. There are also rare records in the eastern Mediterranean.

Meet it respectfully

Never touch, poke or move a lump of rubble that could be a stonefish, and never touch the reef. Keep good buoyancy and wear hard-soled shoes when wading on reef flats. Australian first aid guidance: call for help, put the stung hand or foot in hot water you can comfortably tolerate, do not use a pressure bandage, and go to hospital. Hot water may help less for stonefish than for other fish stings, but it is still advised. Antivenom exists in some countries, such as Australia. This is not medical advice.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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