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A large brownish puffer-relative covered in long erectile spines and dark spots, able to inflate into a spiny ball when alarmed. Found on Egyptian reefs, it carries the same deadly tetrodotoxin as true puffers.
This is a protected or non-target species — please don't fish for it. If it's accidentally hooked, release it quickly and unharmed.
Eating & safety
Do not eat it, as its flesh and organs can carry lethal tetrodotoxin, and handle with care because of its sharp spines and crushing beak.
Stung or poisoned? First-aid steps →Best conditions: Often hooked accidentally on reef bottom rigs after dark
When threatened it gulps water to inflate and erect hundreds of spines, turning into a near-impossible mouthful for predators.