Sphoeroides annulatus
This species can reach up to 48 cm in length. Its most distinctive feature is the dorsal pattern, which displays a series of white concentric rings resembling a bullseye target, surrounded by dark speckles on an olive-green background, with a smooth white ventral surface.
The species lacks individual teeth. Instead, its jaws form a strong, fused beak-like structure capable of crushing the hardest invertebrate shells on the seafloor.
A solitary species inhabiting shallow coastal waters, it characteristically buries itself almost entirely in sandy substrates, leaving only its yellow eyes exposed to monitor its surroundings and ambush prey.
When threatened, the species rapidly ingests water — or air when out of water — causing the body to expand into a rigid, spinous sphere, effectively doubling or tripling its apparent size as a deterrent to predators.
