The zebra turkeyfish is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, including the Red Sea.

[2] The zebra turkeyfish is native to the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea to Indonesia and eastern Australia.

[citation needed] While originally described as solitary predators,[4] zebra lionfish have more recently been observed exhibiting gregarious behavior both in the wild and in a laboratory setting, living and hunting together in groups of two or three.

[5] When hunting in groups, zebra lionfish herd their prey into a confined area using their venomous dorsal spines and flaring their fins to create a barrier.

[5][6] Group hunting and water jet blowing behaviors have also been observed in invasive red lionfish in the Caribbean.