![]() ![]() ![]() The presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) on the surface of the skin of larval pufferfish acts as a chemical defense, causing predators to spit them out. Predators who ignore this warning (or who are "lucky" enough to catch the puffer unexpectedly, before or during inflation) may die from choking, and predators who do manage to swallow the puffer may find their stomachs full of tetrodotoxin (TTX), rendering puffers an unpleasant, dangerous food source. All puffers have pointed spines, even if they aren't visible when the puffer isn't inflated, so a hungry predator may be confronted with an unappealing, pointy ball rather than a slow, easy meal. If the pufferfish is successfully pursued, its secondary defense mechanism is to fill its extraordinarily elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) until it is considerably larger and practically spherical in appearance. The first and most crucial protection against predators is the puffer's exceptional eyesight, which is linked with this speed burst. Its tail fin serves primarily as a rudder, but it can also be employed for a quick evasive burst of speed that lacks the care and accuracy of the rest of its movements. This makes it extremely nimble, but also quite slow, making it an easy predation prey. It moves by integrating the movements of the pectoral, dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. The puffer's innate defenses are one-of-a-kind and serve to compensate for its poor movement. Pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing have made certain pufferfish species vulnerable, but most populations are considered stable. Poisonous puffers are thought to make their lethal venom from bacteria found in the animals they eat. With their powerful beaks, large specimens will even crack open and devour clams, mussels, and shellfish. Invertebrates and algae make up the majority of the pufferfish's food. They all have four teeth fused together in a beak-like shape. They lack scales and have rough to spiky skin. They come in a variety of sizes, from the 1-inch dwarf or pygmy puffer to the freshwater giant puffer, which can grow to be over 2 feet long. Others have more subdued or cryptic coloring to blend in with their surroundings, while some have wild patterning and colors to proclaim their toxicity. Their bodies are long and tapering, with bulbous crowns. Although the majority of species live in tropical and subtropical ocean environments, some exist in brackish and even fresh water. There are about 120 species of pufferfish in the globe. The scientific name relates to the four massive teeth fused into an upper and lower plate that are used to shatter the hard shells of their natural prey, crustaceans and mollusks. They have huge exterior spines and are physically similar to porcupinefish, which are closely related (unlike the thinner, hidden spines of the Tetraodontidae, which are only visible when the fish have puffed up). Pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab are all members of the family. Tetraodontidae is a Tetraodontiformes family of predominantly marine and estuary fish. How do you treat Pufferfish Poisoning? General description of tetraodontidae.Is there a known antidote for the pufferfish poison?.What happens when I ingest the pufferfish poison tetrodotoxin?.What are the Signs & Symptoms of Pufferfish Poisoning?.What is Tetrodotoxin and why is it poisonous?.How deadly can the consumption of Fugu be?.What are the defenses of this slow fish?.Table of Content Are Pufferfish as harmless as they look like? COMMON NAME: Pufferfish SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tetraodontidae TYPE: Fish DIET: Carnivore SIZE: Up to 3 feet Read more about puffer fish in this blog. They look harmless, but they know very well how to defend themselves from attackers. They move slowly and are a great photo subject. You can meet them at many dive sites in Palau, they are cute little fish and come in a variety of colors and body shapes.
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