With its mouth turned down in a perpetual frown, its wild, weedlike growths used as camouflage, its mean-looking slanted brow, and its venom tipped spines, the scorpionfish (Scorpaena plumieri) has acquired somewhat of a bad reputation.

But it is not well earned. There is nothing aggressive about this animal. I find it to be quite the opposite. In my experience, the animal is quite docile, choosing to just swim away when it feels it is getting a bit too much attention from divers. (incidentally, I find the same to be completely true of the moray eel and barracuda, but I'll save that sermon for another day).

The lighting on this particular one helps accentuate the many little fleshy flaps that grow on its body to create the effective illusion that the fish is an algae covered rock.