Boxfish

The strange Boxfish has hard plates encasing the body, making it look like a box. Hence the name. The plates protect the Boxfish from most predators. The boxfish cannot flex the body for swimming, so it has to paddle around with the fins.

The Boxfish is also called Cofferfish, Cowfish or Trunkfish. It is related to the Pufferfish and can secrete a deadly poison from the skin.

Boxfishes feed on worms, snails and invertebrates. They can be 20-40 cm in length.