Leopard Toby Puffer Fish Endemic in Southeast Asia, Oceania Seen for the First Time in Australia

A Leopard Toby puffer fish, endemic in some parts of Southeast Asia and Oceania, was spotted for the first time in Australia.

The very rare creature was seen by a deep-sea diver in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

It is unclear how the puffer fish species with leopard-like spots stumble in Australian waters. Reports said this might be the first recorded sighting of the bizarre fish.

Leopard Toby Spotted in Australia

According to an Instagram post by Master Reef Guides, an organization connected with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, one of its deep-sea divers who was swimming in the Coral Sea Marine Park captured a photo of the Leopard Toby puffer fish.

The post was made earlier this week, stating that the sighting was at a dive site at the famous North Horn Dive.

Master Reef Guides said that its diver has never seen the Leopard Toby despite surpassing 1,100 dives in her life, indicating that this might be the first recorded sighting of the super rare puffer fish in the Coral Sea.

According to wildlife experts, the said species Canthigaster leoparda, officially known as the Leopard Toby Puffer, is only native to the Western Pacific Ocean.

Existing records show that it can only be found in the waters of Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, and Micronesia, as well as Christmas Island.

However, there is also a possibility it could exist elsewhere in the world's oceans following its documented sighting in Australian waters recently.

What is a Leopard Toby Puffer Fish?

The Leopard Toby Puffer is a deepwater reef species, which lives in deep water caves and reef slopes at an average depth of 50 to 100 meters. Despite the rarity of the C. leoparda, it has entered the aquarium hobby trade since 2008.

With a conservation status of "Least Concern" under the IUCN Red List, the Leopard Toby Puffer is believed to have a thriving population in their deep-sea habitat.

Puffer fish in general are known for their unique morphological appearance and features, especially their defensive mechanism of inflating and deflating.

Also known as blowfish, these small sea creatures pump water into their stomachs until they turn into the shape of a ball, larger than their normal body size, to evade predators.

Puffer Fish Inflation

There have been also various theories surrounding the inflation behavior of pufferfishes, particularly if they hold their breath or not.

However, scientists over the past decade found that a species called black-saddled puffer fish (Canthigaster valentini) has a high capacity for oxygen uptake with its gills being the primary site of oxygen uptake during inflation.

In a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Biology Letters in 2014, scientists confirmed that pufferfishes are capable of high-level oxygen intake through transport across their gills while performing the iconic inflation response.

In addition, researchers suggested further examinations of a puffer fish's muscles which are believed to also have a role in the inflation event.