Porcupinefish

Photo: eamonccorbett · CC BY

Large porcupinefish are permanent residents of Coral Garden's coral head labyrinth, resting in shaded recesses by day and emerging at night to hunt hard-shelled invertebrates with their fused beak-like teeth. When threatened they inflate rapidly with water to more than double their resting size, erecting their dermal spines into a near-impenetrable ball — a defence effective against all but the largest predators. Their large, expressive eyes and rounded inflated form make them a favourite subject for underwater photographers at any experience level.