| Boxfishes are divided into two groups, trunkfish and cowfish. Cowfish have a spine over each eye like horns on a cow. Trunkfish have no spines over their eyes. Three species of trunkfish are located in the Tropical Western Atlantic region, Trunkfish, Spotted Trunkfish and Smooth Trunkfish. The “golden phase” of the Smooth Trunkfish has been reported only in the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of Honduras. There are two species of cowfish in the Tropical Western Atlantic, Scrawled Cowfish and Honeycomb Cowfish. The range of Boxfish extends from the Massachusetts coast to Brazil. They are found on all coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. |
| Boxfishes are protected by a triangular, bony box of armor. They have small protrusible mouths and broom-like tails. Some divers confuse this family with pufferfish, but they are not puffers. They have a rigid, box-like shell that protects them from predators. These fish have only one dorsal fin and no pelvic fins. Because of their shape and rigid outer structure, boxfish are rather poor swimmers. They move using a sculling action of their dorsal, pectoral and anal fins. The tail fin is used occasionally for additional speed. In addition to their bony armor, they use camouflage as a means to deter predators. |
| Boxfishes are bottom dwellers. They are often seen over sandy bottoms where they like to feed on sponges, worms, shrimp and crabs. Boxfishes are often sighted in an inverted position blowing jets of air into the sand to uncover food, which they suck in their mouths. |
| A little known fact about trunkfish is their ability to deter predators by secreting a toxin from their skin glands. This poison is toxic to other fish and somewhat harmful to trunkfish. |
| Divers commonly confuse the identification of the Smooth and Spotted Trunkfish. Hint – the Smooth Trunkfish has a dark mouth with white body spots while the Spotted Trunkfish has a white mouth with black body spots. |
