Strange looking fish

[picasso]

Hi guys,

during the WCH in Sharm I found uncommonly looking fish.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mrisian/StrangeFish#
I found it in open water, but usually under the rock in small cave. In Slovakia we do not have the sea, so maybe it is common fish. Does anybody know its name?

Thank you.

[WillUnderwater]

Hard to tell from picture - it's so tiny and fuzzy and my eyes aren't that good - any better picture? Looks like it could be a spotted burrfish or a porcupinefish - both like hiding out in shady areas.

[picasso]

can provide video. Picture was taken from it. I put it somewhere on the net.

[trux]

Well, I am definitely no expert in fish, and even less in Red Sea fish, but to me it looks like some type of Tetraodon (Pufferfish). Look at this one, if it is similar to what you saw. Yours seems to have stronger pectoral fins than this one, almost leg-like, but there may be such Tetraodon species too.

[picasso]

Thank you Trux. That is that one . Mistery is solved .

[picasso]

your picture is far more better. Where it is from?

[picasso]

It has very beatifull face. Seems like toy for child :-).

[picasso]

Length of those fish was approx. 50-60 cm. Is it that one?

[trux]

The picture is from this page: Ocean Creature Feature
But you will find thousands of images if you enter keywords like pufferfish, tetraodon, or fugu (yes, the famous japanese killing delicattesse is also a pufferfish) in Google image search.

There are hundreds of species of Tetraodons or pufferfish. Some are quite small, and the bigger are indeed up to about 75 cm long (Giant Pufferfish). They can blow up like a baloon when attacked - their skin is quite elastic, and they have then almost completely spheric shape.

There is a page about the Giant Pufferfish in Slovak for you here: Štvorzubec Mbu - Tetraodon Mbu

[trux]

Originally Posted by picasso

It has very beatifull face. Seems like toy for child :-).

A dangerous toy. It can easily kill if ingested. I am not sure if it is toxic on touching too, but I would rather advise against it.

[picasso]

Thank you for the information Trux. I will remember stvorzubec - Slovak name for this nice fish.

[salibandy]

Originally Posted by picasso

It has very beatifull face. Seems like toy for child :-).

I love it's face. It always has this cheeky smile plastered on. It's my favourite fish, the puffers.

Originally Posted by trux

A dangerous toy. It can easily kill if ingested. I am not sure if it is toxic on touching too, but I would rather advise against it.

The Tetrodotoxin is lethal if ingested, but puffers are absolutely safe to touch. Of course, they have a nasty bite, and the porcupine puffer has longer spikes, so handle with care.