What happens when they are hungry?
The Hunt
When Synanceia verrucosa needs food it will burrow into the mud or sand of its habitat and wait. The stonefish will wait hours until the right moment. When prey passes by in the right area, the stonefish will suddenly strike out at incredible speed and capture the prey in its mouth and eat it. The hunt can be broken down into three steps. The first step is orientating itself to its prey. The second step is grabbing the prey by basically opening up its mouth and then clamping it shut on the prey item. The third and final step is moving the prey around and then swallowing it.
The Prey
Stonefish typically eat small to medium sized fish and crustaceans such as shrimp. Because fish in general have jaws, they can eat many different types of prey, and the stonefish is no exception with its boney jaws.
The Digestion
Food is ingested in the mouth of the fish and begins breaking down in the esophagus and completes in the stomach and intestinal tract, just like humans. In the case of its circulatory system, however, it does not relate to humans.
The Circulatory System
Synanceia verrucosa has a two-chambered heart within its closed circulatory system, and one overall circuit. Blood is pumped from the ventricle, to the gills, throughout the body, into the atrium, and back into the ventricle.
With that introduction to the body system of Synanceia verrucosa continue on to the reproduction page to learn about its life cycle.
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