Yellow Boxed Fish: Is This the Cutest Fish or What?

Welcome to another post of my strange animals series where you get to meet some of the weirdest, coolest, and craziest animals on a daily basis!

I have been posting a lot of creepy and alien-like creatures lately, so today I decided to share something on the cuter side of things. I hope you like it, especially you @abigail-dantes:

Look's cute doesn't it? This guy has a dangerous secret though! (credit)

Not surprisingly, the cute, yellow box-shaped thing pictured above is a fish commonly known as the...yellow boxfish.

Scientifically described as Ostracion cubicus, some other common names it comes by are Cubicus Boxfish and Polka-dot Boxfish.. But some people prefer to call it by other, darker nicknames, like the boxfish nuke.

Why? Keep reading to find out! But first, let's start with the basics.

Where Can I Find One?

These cute critters usually chill in coral reefs throughout the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean as well as the south eastern Atlantic Ocean, at depths ranging from 1 to 280 m. They don't move much and stay in the same spot for hours at a time.

How Big Do They Get?

They can get quite big, up to 45 cm long. But the more they grow, the less cute they become! When young, they are all cute and yellow and box-like...

Young Specimen. Cute! (credit)

But time is a bitch... As they get older, their body becomes more elongated and their bright yellow color fades.

Old specimen. Not Cute! (Credit)

What Do They Eat?

The species is omnivourous, primarily feeding on algae, although they have an occasional snack, like small fish., crustaceans, mollusks, sand dwelling polychaetes, worms and sponges.

Can I Keep One as a Pet?

Yes! But you'd better not! I think it's time to let you in their dark secret and why they are often called box-nukes.

When dealing with animals there are some basic rules. One of them is to stay the fuck away from anything that is too colorful! [4]

Although not dangerous to humans, a yellow boxfish is a ticking time bomb if you decide to put it into your aquarium.

When stressed or threatened, they release a toxin that can easily wipe out any other fish in the surrounding waters. This toxin is called “ostracitoxin” and it can even kill the fish itself! [5]

OMG THEY ARE SO CUTE!!! Can I Eat Them?

The description of the image below reads "Yellow boxfish being sold in a restaurant in Jakarta" so my guess is yes! I tried looking for recipes, didn't come with much though. Sorry if I disappointed you !

(credit)

So this is pretty much all you need to know about the yellow boxed fish.

Below are some more quick facts you might want to check !

Quick & Interesting Facts About The Yellow Boxfish

These guys suck at swimming! They are really slow and you can even catch them by hand if you try!
In 2006, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its Bionic concept car, which was inspired by the shape of the yellow boxfish. According to Mercedes-Benz, "the boxfish's face is small in proportion to its overall length, and its streamlined surfaces encourage air to move over it without creating the turbulence that robs aerodynamic efficiency.". I don't know much about cars. Hopefully, Mercedez didn't make them as slow as the yellow box-fish... [3]
Breeding occurs in harems consisting of one male and 2-4 females, during the spring when the waters start to warm up. Males are territorial, each protecting a small area along with the residing females.
Although not officially evaluated by the IUCN, the species is not believed to be under any immediate threat. There are some minor dangers for some local populations, but nothing big enough to have any serious impact.

Before I conclude today's post, I want to also make a quick honorable mention to another cutie.

Extra Animal - The Longhorn Cowfish

Longhorn cowfish in Sala Humboldt of Aquarium Finisterrae (credit)

The longhorn cowfish, Lactoria cornuta, is a similar looking fish that is also sometimes called "yellow box fish". The two are closely related and belong to the safe family, Ostraciidae. The longhorn cowfish is easily recognizable by its long horns that protrude from the front of its head, rather like those of a cow or bull.

Which one is cuter? You decide!

This is it for today! See you tomorrow, in my next strange animal post.

References

My dear readers, thank you for reading today's article. Hopefully, you found it interesting enough to follow me, @trumpman. You may also want to check my strange animal series where you get to discover some of the world's weirdest animals! Here are the last 5 weirdos of that series:

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