Greater Weever, or Sting-bull, Trachius Major
1803
Meet the Greater Weever, also charmingly known as the 'Sting-bull,' a fish that looks like it means business with its long, serrated dorsal fin and that ominous black spike on its back. Edward Donovan, an Irish naturalist and illustrator, captured this creature in exquisite detail for his series on British fishes around the turn of the 19th century. While it looks like a calm scientific study, the 'Weever' is actually famous for its venomous spines—stepping on one in shallow water is a painful mistake that sailors and beachgoers have dreaded for centuries. Donovan's work helped document these slippery neighbors of the British Isles before modern photography took over.
Views: 9