The first lionfish reported in the Atlantic was found in Florida in 1985, and the species was documented as “established” in the early 2000s. Since then, it has spread south, crossing the entire Caribbean and arriving at the Brazilian coast in a region near the mouth of the Amazon River.
These German shepherd-like mammals are expected to slowly find their way into the region, which is the last area in the continental U.S. where they don’t exist. When they do, they will be the area’s top predator — which could lead to drastic changes to the local ecosystem.