Newspaper Article

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ...

Sodergren, Rebecca

2000

Overview

The stonefish, true to its name, looks exactly like a stone plunked down on the sea floor. It's venomous, yes, but its primary means of subduing other creatures is to sit as still as the stone it resembles. Then, when another fish swims by, the stonefish jumps out and gulps it. The venom is useful not so much for hunting but for protection -- for instance, [Chris Coco] points out that a diver could accidentally step on a stonefish and get a foot full of venom. In the venom gallery, therefore, it seemed appropriate to display all sorts of venomous creatures. So besides the expected assortment of fish, the aquarium also has cow killer wasps (ant-like insects that inflict a sting so painful that some claim it can kill a cow), the Arizona bark scorpion (the most dangerous species of scorpion in the United States), and the giant Peruvian centipede (the largest centipede in the world). It also has such better-known species as the black widow spider, cottonmouth and Gila monster. Such creatures require careful setup, however. As [Dave Collins] pointed out, aquariums always have to prevent escape, but that's extra- important in a venom exhibit, when the creatures' escape could do harm not only to the creatures but to humans.

• Publisher: Pittsburgh Post - Gazette
• Subject: Coco, Chris / Collins, Dave