Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Back down on the reef, we find the most common of the pufferfish family,
the blackspotted puffer.
At Black Rock these fish can often be seen just resting on the bottom,
or in this case amongst the branches of a sea fan.
This larger species is a map puffer.
Like parrotfish, puffers' teeth are fused together to form a very strong beak.
This is a blue-spotted puffer,
although this particular individual is lacking
the characteristic blue coloration around the face.
Like other pufferfish,
if it feels greatly threatened it will swallow water
to inflate its body into a ball
in order to appear more intimidating.
The largest of all pufferfish is the starry puffer.
They are fairly unfazed by the close attentions of divers.
The yellow boxfish's body is covered with hexagonal bony plates,
fused together into a rigid carapace for protection.
This fish releases toxins if stressed,
and the bright coloration serves as a warning to would-be predators.
Nevertheless, this juvenile gets a nip from an aggressive damselfish
and retreats to the shelter of the reef.
As the yellow boxfish matures
its bright yellow coloration darkens and fades,
and it gains more white spots amongst the black ones.
Large adults take on an altogether more purple hue.
The male whitespotted boxfish has a very distinct coloration.
The female of the species is a uniform black with white spots.
On Khao Lak's Boonsung wreck we find a tiny horn-nosed boxfish.
In adulthood the species develops a prominent bump on its snout.
The porcupinefish is covered with spines
which normally lie flat against its body.
When under threat, they can inflate their bodies with water, like pufferfish.
When doing so, the spines, point straight out as a defense.
This spot-fin porcupinefish has broken some of its spines,
presumably by reversing out of a hole.
The damaged spines will soon grow back.
As can be seen from this black-blotched porcupinefish,
their eyes are quite vulnerable to attack or self-inflicted damage
and it's quite common to see individuals that have been blinded in one eye.
It's diet includes bivalve molluscs,
and the porcupinefish has a strong bite
when exploring the reef for such food.
The smaller long-spine porcupinefish
is occasionally seen foraging on the seabed surrounding the reef.
Scrawled filefish, sometimes referred to as "leatherjackets",
are characterized by a long snout and tail fin...