female spotted boxfish, Ostracion meleagris


The lack of flexibility of the spotted boxfish's stiff body makes it seem as though it is being dangled by strings, bobbing like a puppet as it pivots to flee the camera. This one is brown in color with light spots, identifying it as a female. As with other boxfish, its peculiar long snout is ideally suited for blowing jets of water into the sediment to uncover small invertebrates along the sandy reef bottom. Identification: Ostracion meleagris
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