sea scorpion

American  

noun

Ichthyology.

1. scorpionfish.

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sea scorpion British  

noun

1. any of various northern marine scorpaenoid fishes of the family Cottidae, esp Taurulus bubalis ( long-spined sea scorpion ). They have a tapering body and a large head covered with bony plates and spines

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Etymology

Origin of sea scorpion

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

Known as Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, the sea scorpions were nearly 8 feet in length and had enormous claws with which they used to catch their prey, according to the study.

From Fox News

There, they may have encountered mollusks, trilobites and fearsome sea scorpions.

From New York Times

In the Devonian period—hundreds of millions of years ago—it was filled with sea lilies, sea scorpions, armor-plated monster fish, forests of glass sponges, and patch reefs of strange corals.

From The New Yorker

And unlike its modern-day namesake, which strikes its prey with an over-the-back movement, the long-extinct sea scorpion would have likely brandished its tail from side to side. 

From Science Magazine

Scientists have unearthed the oldest known species of a long-extinct group known as sea scorpions, a find that could mean the ancient creatures may have an even older origin than previously thought.

From Science Magazine