Porcupine Pufferfish

Photo: kyanite12 · © all rights reserved

Porcupine pufferfish roam coral gardens at The Shipyard using their fused beak-like teeth to crunch through hard-shelled sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans that other fish cannot exploit. When threatened they inflate themselves with water to three times normal size and erect sharp spines, making them nearly impossible to swallow. By controlling sea urchin populations they indirectly protect coral from overgrazing by urchins during phases of algal competition.