Cowfish

The Cowfish is one of our favourite inhabitants! It's very funny and bizarre; there are those who think he looks like a snail! We find that he resembles more like a cow. If you look closely you'll discover some bony protrusions located in the head, which closely resemble the horns of a cow or a bull!
Did you know that the cowfish is a terrible swimmer? Since it has no pelvic fins as other fishes do, he exclusively relies on his tail fin. Notice how it seems to be floating! This unique method of swimming is called ostraciform.

Things to Do

Look carefully at this nice fish and look for the similarities with a cow!
Look at his nervous and untypical swimming! Where is his balance?
Be patient and try to take his picture, but without Flash! He is very photogenic!
Notice how often he "blows" water jets into the ground. Find out why!

Cowfish belong to the family of the Boxfishes, so called because their body contained in a bony box (hence the name "Box"), leaving out only the tail fin.
When a Cowfish feels threatened he can release a deadly toxin called ostracitoxin.
Cowfish feed on molluscs, crustaceans and coral, which he crushes with his powerful jaws.

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