The tail and fins show hints of yellow and there is a rainbow streak of color behind the eyes.

They are occasionally found in schools together with Paraluteres prionurus, a non-toxic filefish which has evolved to mimic the very toxic C. valentini for protection against predators.

Females can lay anywhere between fifteen and over 800 eggs at a time every four to ten days depending on the season.

This allows females and males to maintain their territory without the necessity of protecting their eggs as well.

[8] Canthigaster valentini eggs range in size between 0.68 and 0.72 mm in diameter, making them some of the smallest in the family Tetraodontidae.

After settlement on reefs, C. valentini are considered juveniles, having a much more robust body shape.

[7] Their toxic skin makes C. valentini a model for Batesian mimicry, specifically by the filefish species Paraluetes prionurus which is similarly colored, allowing it to benefit from C. valentini’s low risk of predation.

This is accomplished by filling a distensible stomach with water through rapid gulping which can increase their size to three or four times their original volume.

Pufferfish must be capable of maintaining inflation for up to ten minutes in order to outlast the attention span of their predators.