The scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ostraciidae, the boxfishes.

[4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Acanthostracion within the family Ostraciidae, in the suborder Ostracioidea, within the order Tetraodontiformes.

The scrawled cowfish has a thick, oblong body, which is largely enclosed in a thickened carapace with enlarged, plate-like hexagonal scales that are jointed with each other, the mouth, eyes, gills, fins, and the caudal peduncle.

[2] The overall color of the fish varies from gray-brown to yellowish green, with a longitudinal blue strip running from the snout to the origin of the anal fin.

[1] The scrawled cowfish feeds on sessile invertebrates including tunicates, gorgonians, and sea anemones as well as slow-moving crustaceans, sponges, hermit crabs and some marine vegetation.

[8] As with other species of boxfish, the scrawled cowfish's bony carapace gives it a distinctly angular appearance; its oblate form has been compared to a frisbee.