Spotted Porcupinefish

Photo: Paola Viviana Trovò · CC BY-NC-ND

Porcupinefish are common on the shallower sections of the João Vieira wall, hovering in the shelter of overhang edges and sea fan bases by day and emerging to hunt urchins and hard-shelled invertebrates after dark. When threatened they inflate rapidly with water, erecting their spines into an impenetrable globe that deters even large predators. Their outsized eyes and perpetually surprised expression make them among the most beloved fish on any tropical reef.