Spot-fin porcupinefish
Diodon hystrix
- Scientific name
- Diodon hystrix
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea, Caribbean & Tropical Atlantic
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
When threatened, the spot-fin porcupinefish gulps water to inflate its body into a spiky ball, raising all its spines at once. Once the danger passes, it simply deflates by releasing the water.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.