Cowfish
| Cowfish | ||||||||||||
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Longhorn cowfish ( Lactoria cornuta ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lactoria cornuta | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The cowfish ( Lactoria cornuta ), also longhorn boxfish or (horned) cow boxfish , belongs to the boxfish family .
The body of the cowfish, like that of other boxfish, is protected by bone armor. It is only absent in the eyes, mouth, gills, anus and fins. Boxfish do not have a gill cover , they can only achieve the necessary water circulation by raising and lowering the floor of the oral cavity.
Boxfish have a strong skin toxin ( ostracitoxin ). This is released into the water in case of danger. The poison can kill other fish in no time.
The pectoral fins are used like small propellers, but the caudal fin is only used for flight. This makes the cowfish a very fast and agile swimmer.
The cowfish can be up to 45 centimeters long. In the Indo-Pacific it inhabits the entire area from East Africa and the Red Sea to Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and French Polynesia. The cowfish feeds on small invertebrates that it looks for in the sand and finds them through "bubbles". He is often accompanied by one or more wrasse , just waiting for him to uncover food for them.
Aquaristics
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Tiny cow fish, only two to three centimeters in size, are often offered in specialist shops, which people perceive as cute and which are intended to induce them to buy. The potential buyer should know, however, that the animals are at least 30 centimeters long and can eat all kinds of invertebrate aquarium occupants. In the event of death or injury to the cowfish it can happen that the poison pahutoxin is secreted, which in the worst case can kill all other aquarium fish. However, if kept appropriately and properly cared for, the cowfish can be a persistent aquarium inhabitant.
Web links
- Cowfish on Fishbase.org (English)
- Sea water lexicon