Birdbeak burrfish (Cyclichthys orbicularis) is a saltwater species recorded in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia. It is mainly found over reef, at depths of 9–170 m.
Scientific name: Cyclichthys orbicularis · Water: Saltwater
Size: up to 30 cm
The birdbeak burrfish is a diodontid, one of the porcupinefishes. It has a neat habit: it often spends the day inside large sponges and comes out at night to feed among the reef, taking hard-shelled invertebrates. It lives on clear, sheltered reefs with plenty of sponge and algae, and also over sand and mud down to about 170 m. Maximum about 30 cm total length. Populations recover quickly, with a fishing vulnerability of 28 out of 100. Found all year.
Its mouth is small, and the round body is covered in short spines, each sitting on a triangular base; every spine on the top of the head carries three subdermal roots. It is pale brown above and white below, scattered with round brown spots that crowd towards the tail, and the fins are translucent. It ranges across the tropical Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea to the Philippines, and is among the more common visitors to the waters around Cape Town. It inflates itself by swallowing water, becoming spherical with every spine erect and moving very little in that state. It is sometimes trawled in large numbers. A nocturnal fish, it is active at night and at twilight.
Caution: contains tetrodotoxin. Never prepare or eat this fish yourself; handling and eating must follow the local food-safety rules.
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