Rounding a coral mound on a dive site called Golden Crown in Viti Levu Fiji we spotted a large fish just sitting on the bottom. We approached it very slowly and got real close but it lay perfectly still, not moving anything not even its eyes. I was thinking it must be dead or hurt but as I moved closer I noticed the eyes swivel slowly as it followed Mary's movement. I could not identify the fish so took a series of shots and forgot about the encounter until we got home.
We discovered later that it was a Star Puffer and it likes to rest on the bottom all day and eat at night.
Notice the Star Puffer's eye moving backward as it follows Mary's movement. It wasn't too concerned about our approach and for good reason. The Star Puffer like most puffers is highly poisonous, actually 1200 times more toxic than cyanide. It has enough toxin to kill about 30 adult humans. So it wasn't too worried about Mary or me eating it.
The Star Puffer can grow up to 1.2m or about 4 ft.
See the beak like teeth in its mouth that is where the Star Puffer gets its family name Tetradontidae, which means "four tooth". Star Puffers use those teeth and its powerful jaws to crack open shells as it feeds on crustaceans and echinoderms at night.
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