Under The Surf Turf War: Watch Male Lionfish Duke It Out

There's nothing romantic about this cheek to cheek dance between two large male lionfish. Photo Credit: Alex Fogg Understanding animal behavior can be tough, as observing individuals for hours can be incredibly boring and our mere presence can affect how they act. Things get even harder when those animals happen to live in the ocean; our inability to breathe water makes quietly sitting and watching creatures significantly more difficult. So it was lucky to say the least that Alex Fogg captured a clear video of two large male lionfish exhibiting a behavior rarely caught on film: battling for dominance. Fogg, a biologist with Coast Watch Alliance, a non-profit out of Pensacola, Florida, and his girlfriend were on vacation in Roatan, Honduras when they came across the remarkable sight. As avid divers, the pair had spent the week diving from boats, so to mix things up, they decided upon an afternoon shore dive instead. The water was crystal clear, which allowed Fogg to spot a very large, dark lionfish on an isolated coral patch about 75 feet away. When the pair approached, they realized the 'lionfish' was actually two, battling for dominance 55 feet below the waves. "I started taking pictures but quickly switched to video to document the event from when we arrived until whenever it would end," he explained. Despite getting quite close to the animals, the fish appeared unaware of their sudden audience. The video, which Fogg uploaded to YouTube, documents a brutal battle between two large and aggressive fish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW9sm0LVww4 Lionfish aren't exactly known for speed; spearfishermen in their invasive range marvel at just how slow they tend to be for a fierce, predatory fish. So, the swift movements of the fighters surprised Fogg, as did the violence. "The two individuals were using their cheek mail to try and abrade and lacerate the others sides, and most of the time, they were pressing their cheeks against each other doing circles in the direction of which fish was pushing harder." Those cheeks are covered with sharp, bony protrusions that can cause serious damage: