Details
Lactoria cornuta
The longhorn cowfish is a box-shaped puffer relative with hornlike projections. It moves slowly through coastal reefs and sandy bottoms while picking at small foods.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs in shallow reefs, seagrass, and sandy coastal bottoms across the Pacific, the Indian Ocean. Juveniles often use sheltered shallows.
Length 25-46 cm; weight 200 g-700 g. A rigid boxy shell encloses the body, with long horns on the head and near the tail. The body is often yellow with pale blue speckling.
Diurnal and mostly solitary, it swims slowly by fluttering small fins. When stressed it can release a skin toxin, so speed is not its main defense.
An omnivore, it nips small bottom animals, algae, and encrusting organisms. It may blow jets of water into sand to uncover food.
Adults spawn by releasing eggs into the water column. Larvae drift before juveniles settle into coastal bottom habitats.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
