Puffer Fish: Latin Name: Arothron Meleagris

                                                     Puffer fish

Jessie:

   How puffer fish defend themselves

The puffer fish are  unique  animals  that have extordinary ways of protecting themselves. Although they are not very efficent swimmers, they have many different ways of protecting themselves, against their predators, larger fish and sea mammlals.

 One of their unique ways, is that they have spotted or mottled skins that help disquise themselves against the seaweed and and rocks. If this tactic doesn't work, they then use their most unusual form of defense by taking huge amounts of water or air to fill their stomaches. Makeing it impossible for their predators to get their jaws around the fish and their spikes make it very painful if the predator did try to attack. Being puffed up like a balloon, they float up to the surface until danger has passed. Puffer fish have yet another method of defense, thay are highly poisonous. Thier size can vary from, up to 50cm/20in. long.

   Habitat

Puffer fish live in shallow waters; coral reefs and tidal lagoons. Range: Western and central Pacific Ocean. Also Hawaiian islands.

    Life Span  

 The normal life span of a healthy puffer fish is ten years or older.

  Feeding and Breeding

The puffer fish lives off of slow-moving hard shelled animals, such as mollusks and crustaceaeans.

   Their is not much known about how puffer fish breed, but it is known that they attach thier eggs to plants while they are developing.

Female puffer fish lay up to 20,000 eggs at a time. The eggs hatch around a week after they are layed. Some males have been spotted guarding their eggs and fanning water over them to keep the eggs free from algae and/or parasites. The eggs are highly poisonous, which help predators stay away.                           

 Facts

*The puffer fish is one of the few fish that can blink and close their eyes.

*The puffer fish is an omnivore.

*The puffer fish is a predator and prey.

*There are 120 puffer fish species.

 

Bibliography:http://fugu.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk/pfw/ http://www,tiscali.uk/reference/encyclopedia/hutchinson/m008595.htm/ http://www.aquariumfishpictures.com/fish/puffer01.htm

Keegan:



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