Lionfish Diet

We identified and enumerated prey items from a sample of over 300 lionfish from the Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park in Cozumel, Mexico. We uncovered a varied diet that transitioned from shrimp-dominated to fish-dominated over through ontogeny, including a uniquely large number of crabs in the diet.

We analyzed a large dataset of lionfish stomach contents across the western Atlantic to identify trends and patterns in lionfish diet throughout their invaded region. We uncovered a largely varied diet composed of fish, shrimp, and other invertebrates, with clear evidence for ontogenetic shifts from a shrimp-dominated to a fish-dominated diet with increasing length and age.