Kimberley Yates, age 10, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

What does the lionfish eat?

The lionfish is just about the fanciest fish in the sea. His body is about a foot long, surrounded by countless long spikes that poke out from his spine and his fins. His body, fins and spikes are decorated with rows of bright stripes. He may wear maroon and grey stripes, or pink and blue white stripes, or brown and yellow stripes. His big mouth dips down at the corners and there are horns on his huge head.

Some people call him the turkey fish or the zebr fish. Others call him the dragon fish or the butterfly codfish. In any case, he is a member of the scorpion fish family and some of his spikes are tipped with . poison. The poison protects him from larger fishes. He does not use it to stun his victims. He grabs smaller fishes in his mouth and devours them. He also enjoys shrimps and smallish shellfish. Some of his cousins lurk in the mud. The bold lionfish swims forth to hunt for live food