Fugu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tetraodontidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
· Puffer fish get their name from a natural ability. When they feel threatened, they puff up to as much as twice their normal size.
· Other names for puffer fish include fugu, blowfish, globefish and balloon fish.
· There are over 100 species of puffer fish. They live in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
· The poison from the puffer fish is 1,000 times stronger than cyanide. It is called tetrodoxin. One puffer fish has enough of the chemical to kill 30 adults.
· People in Japan eat puffer fish even though they know they can die if it isn’t prepared properly.
· Puffer fish are carnivores. They eat only meat.
· Puffer fish have fused teeth which they use to crush their prey and grind it. They eat sea urchins, coral, sponges and small crustaceans.
· Puffer fish have small mouths and fins in proportion to the rest of their body.
· Modified scales come in the form of spines.
· These fish have elasticized skin which enables them to puff up.
· The size of puffer fish is between six and twenty four inches long.
· Puffer fish can blink and close their eyes, which is very unusual. There are few fish that can accomplish this.