TheScubaSherpa | Catch of the Day | The Boxfish

What's up Steemers?

I don't know about you, but Tuesdays are usually pretty boring for me, so I thought this might be a fun Tuesday segment to start. I hope this can be enjoyable while educational for all of you. Let's go:

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For our first Catch of the Day, we have the White-Spotted Boxfish.

I was lucky to get a quick glance at this fancy lady while diving in the Sea of Cortez off the coast of La Paz in the Southern Baja. This dive was one of our shallower, seeing scores of wildlife plus this gem, at roughly 30ft. Boxfish are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans and are notably defined by their rectangular shape, receding dorsal fin, and bright polka-dotted spots.

Maxing out at nearly 10 inches, the female boxfish are usually darkly colored, with white spots while the males are still spotted, but are more brightly colored around their sides. When we spotted each other, this female was poking around in the rocks, most likely looking for dinner. Boxfish predominantly snack on small invertebrates, namely worms and sponges.

Socially, male boxfish are territorial, butting heads and slamming into one another with their hardy bodies. The boxfish's mating process operates through a harem-esque setting. Each male's territory may encompass several females...

I guess you could call their groups a pride? A pride of boxfish?
We're gonna go with that 😉

Until next time,
This was your Catch of the Day!
Keep it steemy

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