Venomous fish pretends to be seaweed to fool prey

The fish can range in colour from red to purple to yellow to blue. Credit: Bristol Aquarium

A venomous fish which hides by pretending to be seaweed is making its debut at Bristol Aquarium.

The scorpionfish is found in the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific - and is an expert at camouflaging itself to fool and ambush potential prey.

It is covered in what looks like seaweed, and venomous spines, and will even sway back and forth like seaweed moving in the current. The fish can range in colour from red to purple to yellow to blue.

The scorpionfish camouflages itself so it can ambush its prey. Credit: Bristol Aquarium