Camel Cowfish

Tetrosomus gibbosus, also known as the Camel Cowfish or Humpback Turretfish, belongs to the family Ostraciidae, which includes 22 species of boxfish. This species is easily identifiable by its distinctive hump located on its dorsal side, and it also goes by names such as helmet cowfish and thornbacked boxfish. It is most closely related to the Tetrosomus reipublicae, or smallspine turretfish.

This fish is native to the Indo-West Pacific region, including the 🌊 Red Sea and extending from East Africa to 🇮🇩 Indonesia, southern 🇯🇵 Japan, and northern 🇦🇺 Australia. Since 1988, it has also been found in the Mediterranean Sea, having migrated through the Suez Canal (🇪🇬 Egypt), a process known as Lessepsian migration. Within these regions, the Camel Cowfish prefers tropical marine environments, often associating with reefs at depths between 2 and 110 meters (6.5 to 360 feet). It favors habitats like deep coastal slopes, sheltered muddy substrates, and is occasionally found near seagrass beds.

Adults typically reach lengths of 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) on average, although they can grow as large as 30 centimeters (12 inches). The Camel Cowfish is characterized by a rigid, carapace-like shell formed from thick scales, with openings for its small mouth, eyes, and gills. It has no dorsal or anal spines but features 9 dorsal soft rays and between 9 to 10 anal soft rays, with less than 15 conical teeth and fleshy lips.

The species is of little commercial interest due to its toxic nature; its flesh and organs are poisonous, and it can secrete toxic mucus when threatened, posing potential dangers to humans and other marine life. As a hermaphrodite, individuals begin life as females and can transform into males as they mature. Juveniles often form small schools, while adults tend to live solitary lives. Their diet consists of benthic invertebrates such as seaweeds, sponges, molluscs, worms, and crustaceans.

Though usually found in warmer waters, in certain regions like the South China Sea, Tetrosomus gibbosus is listed as endangered. In the Mediterranean, it is considered invasive, having adapted well to the similar salinity and temperature conditions and establishing a growing population across different areas. The limited swimming capacity of this species likely necessitated multiple generations to complete its voyage, with eggs and larvae being carried by favorable currents moving northward.

The name "Tetrosomus" derives from Greek, where "tetra" means four and "soma" means body, reflecting aspects of its physical structure.