You'll find on this page species belonging to 3 closely related fish families: the Tetraodontidae (pufferfish), the Diodontidae (porcupinefish) and the Ostraciidae (boxfish, trunkfish). Puffers and porcupines are known for their capacity to puff up, while boxfish has kind of an exoskeleton, and sometimes small horns.

What type of fish is a boxfish?

Boxfish, also called trunkfish, or cowfish, any of a small group of shallow-water marine fishes of the family Ostraciontidae (or Ostraciidae), distinguished by a hard, boxlike, protective carapace covering most of the body. The alternative name cowfish refers to the hornlike projections on the heads of some species.

Is pufferfish and porcupine fish the same?

Pufferfish or porcupine fish? The term pufferfish is used quite often to design generally, fish that are able to puff themselves. ... The Diodontidae have large external spines and are called most commonly porcupine fish. They are closely related but are not the same.