Porcupinefish

Porcupinefish are marine fishes in the family Diodontidae, distinguished by bodies covered in spines that rise when they inflate under threat.

Fish inflation: A defensive behavior in which a fish rapidly expands its body by taking in water or air. Porcupinefish enlarge their bodies this way, making themselves harder for predators to swallow.
Diodontidae: The family of marine fishes commonly called porcupinefishes. It is the taxonomic family to which porcupinefish belong.
Coral reef: A marine ecosystem built largely by reef-forming corals and associated organisms. Many porcupinefish forage and shelter in reef habitats.
Long-spined porcupinefish: A large Indo-Pacific porcupinefish species with long, conspicuous spines. Its elongated spines make the family’s defensive body covering especially visible.
Fish spines: Rigid pointed structures on fish that can provide defense or support. Inflation raises the porcupinefish’s spines, turning its expanded body into a barrier.
Tetraodontiformes: An order of mostly marine fishes that includes puffers, triggerfishes, and ocean sunfishes. Porcupinefish belong to this order of distinctive, often specialized fishes.
Molluscivory: A feeding strategy centered on eating molluscs such as snails and clams. Their strong beak-like jaws let many porcupinefish crush shelled prey.
Spot-fin porcupinefish: A tropical Indo-Pacific porcupinefish marked by dark spots and spotted fins. Its pattern illustrates the strong species-level variation within Diodontidae.
Beak: A hard, beak-like mouth structure formed by fused tooth plates in some fishes. Porcupinefish use fused dental plates to crush shells and other hard food.
Pufferfish: Fishes in the family Tetraodontidae, many of which inflate when threatened. Pufferfish are close relatives, but lack the prominent body spines typical of porcupinefish.

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