![]() With such diversity among the group, these carnivores vary in size anywhere between the one-inch-long dwarf or pygmy puffer to the freshwater giant puffer which grows up to two feet long.Ī National Geographic clip detailing the pufferfish’s natural defenses. Of these, all are marine or estuarine fish. Pufferfish are part of the Tetraodontidae family, which contains 120 varieties. And this diverse fish has even more tricks up its gills.įrom their intricate courtship rituals to turning up in the waters of Nintendo’s popular Animal Crossing game, the pufferfish is one of the most interesting creatures of the sea. In Japan, the pufferfish is carefully prepared as a delicacy known as fugu by chefs specially trained to remove its poisonous parts. However, for the pufferfish themselves, the poison seems to serve as a stress reliever. Lethal for human beings, the tetrodotoxin that pufferfish carry in their flesh guarantees death to nearly all who consume it. And nearly all blowfish are loaded with deadly poison. Some pufferfish have an extra defense against attacks - spines on their skin that jut out when they inflate. With 120 pufferfish species in the Tetraodontidae family, however, features may vary. Once pursued, the animal fills its remarkably elastic stomach full of water to scare predators off. ![]() But in Japan, it's also a pricey dish called fugu.Įxperts believe that pufferfish developed their peculiar “inflatability” as a result of their slow swimming style. Also known as the blowfish, the pufferfish is 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. ![]()
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