[1] Its body is elongated with a spherical head with big round protruding eyes and a large mouth that is rarely closed.

The body coloration is light brown to sandy-yellowwith dark blotches circled with a white line and pale ventral surface.

The only other fish with which it might be confused is the long-spine porcupinefish, (Diodon holocanthus) but it has much shorter spines and it lacks a dark streak running between the eyes.

[2] In case of danger, the porcupinefish can inflate itself by swallowing water to deter the potential predator with its larger volume and it can raise its spines defensively.

The porcupinefish concentrates a poison, called tetrodotoxin, in certain parts of its body such as the liver, skin, gonads and the viscera.