Terrestrial or submarine?
Photographer Farid Atiya captured this face looking sternly into his camera. Although it resembles one of the larger animals with eyes on the side of its face such as a horse or giraffe, it is in fact a Star pufferfish, Arothron stellatus, a resident of the coral reefs of the Egyptian Red Sea.
Puffers have the ability to imbibe water, gulping quickly, then turning upside down so that they float to the surface. They can expel the water just as rapidly, usually with a loud belch, to return to normal size and position. This sudden blowing up of the body is generally sufficient to discourage an attacker.
Pufferfish use their beaks to crunch through the shells of molluscs and crustaceans on which they feed. They can make a loud grinding noise by grinding their teeth. They are not swift swimmers, mainly using their fins rather than their bodies to move through the water. Some species are good to eat, but others are poisonous, particularly the internal organs -- whatever the species, all are protected along Egypt's coast on the Gulf of Aqaba.
This photograph was taken in the Ras Mohamed National Park at the south of the Sinai peninsula, one of the world's best diving areas. Travel to Sinai, as to the rest of Egypt, is regarded as safe and unrestricted, and there are currently many bargains to be found in hotel accommodation, dive courses and dive boat charters in Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada and other resorts.
