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Cowfish and More

Cowfish are found in the unique scientific family Ostraciidae, along with boxfish. This family shares many fascinating and unusual characteristics with other families found in the scientific order Tetraodontiformidae.

The names cowfish, boxfish, and trunkfish are often used interchangeably. Typically, the tropical fish from Indo-Pacific waters are square in cross section, and resemble more of a traditional box. These are most accurately referred to as boxfish. Those found in Atlantic and Caribbean waters are more triangular in cross section. They are called trunkfish. A boxfish or trunkfish with at least one set of horns is a cowfish. Even the round, globular species of the temperate Australian waters are referred to as cowfish because of their diminutive horns.

Special features of interest about cowfish:

• Rather than a skeleton, they have a body of exterior fused plates that form a box.
• Their unique method of swimming, called ostraciform swimming, causes them to look as if they are hovering.
• They have no pelvic skeleton, so they lack pelvic fins.
• They have the ability to release ostracitoxin, a poison that can kill all tank inhabitants.

Below are some photos and names of cowfish and boxfish species of the Indo-Pacific, Atlantic, and Australian waters. Click on the pictures to see supplemental species information.