Why do Lions lose their horns?

[ashtree68]

What causes lions (I've noticed mainly Volitans) to lose their "horns" (not sure the technical term for them)?

I had a very large Volitan who had them until he died, and I noticed recently my current one has his starting to curl and they went away soon after. Is it a water quality thing, or maturity? Or do we not really know yet?

I've seen some very large lions in aquariums with them still, while others in the same tank won't have them.

Any idea?

 

[namxas]

It really depends upon the individual, and MAY have something to do with where they're collected as well. Frank may have a bit more insight on this.

Many lionfish species lose their supraorbital appendages as they mature, but I've had a P. volitans that lost them, and regrew them every so often...there was no rhyme or reason for it.

 

[ashtree68]

They can regrow them? That's cool, didn't know that!

 

[namxas]

They can regrow them? That's cool, didn't know that!

I had that fish for 10 years, and I could never quite figure out if there was a "trigger" that made them regrow, or if it was simply "just because".

 

[ashtree68]

I had that fish for 10 years, and I could never quite figure out if there was a "trigger" that made them regrow, or if it was simply "just because".

Do they serve any purpose other than making the lion look that much cooler? Some form of protection for their eyes?

 

[namxas]

I assume they camouflage the lion's eyes and break up its outline a bit, between the stripes and the dermal flaps.

Our little barberi had some SERIOUS "antennae" when it was a dime-sized juvie, and they were traded for a set of red irises as it matured.

 

[FMarini]

As Greg mentions its not a consistent event, but in general juvenile lionfish have supraobital projections as camouflage to break up the shape of their heads. AS your aware juvenile lionfish have slightly different coloration, frequently eye spots on their pec fins and take on a more lucent coloration than adults. As they mature they become the colorfish specimens we keep, and unfortunately they tend to loose these ornaments.

Whats quite interesting is a population of red sea P volitans possess a featherlike-extenstion at the tip of their supraorbital projection, and its looks really neat.