Puffer Fish

Pufferfish usually have a relatively elongated and broad body shape. If threatened, however, they can quickly inflate their prickly bodies, making themselves hard to swallow.

This is not the only way pufferfish can defend themselves. Their internal organs contain a strong poison. It can prove fatal to humans who eat these fish, although the strength of the poison varies from species to species. In Japan, where restaurants specialize in serving pufferfish—the dish is known as fugu—highly

trained chefs carefully prepare the fish to ensure that it is safe for customers to eat.

Basic Body Structure

Pufferfish have large eyes, so they can see well.They also have sharp, powerful teeth, and this part of the body is often being referred to as the beak. It allows them to crack open the shells of marine mollusks and crustaceans that form the man part of their diet. Sometimes, however, the teeth grow too long— particularly in pufferfish kept in aquariums—and this makes it very difficult for the fish to eat. The teeth also provide scientists with a way of classifying (grouping) pufferfish. Members of the Triodontidae family have three fused (joined) teeth, and members of the Tetraodontidae family have four fused teeth.

The swimming action of pufferfish is relatively slow. However, being able to inflate their bodies is the pufferfishs’ main method of avoiding danger. Left alone by a predator unable to swallow a pufferfish, it can then often escape simply by drifting away in the current, still inflated in a ball.