Puffer Fish

                                                                                By:Rachel     

     The puffer fish is an amazing animal.  It is the second most poisonous animal in the world.  Their skin and even some of their internal organs are very toxic to humans.  But still it is considered a delicacy in Japan and Korea.  But if not prepared correctly it can be poisonous to eat.  The effects of a incorrectly prepared puffer fish are numbness of the tongue and lips, vomiting,and dizziness.  Many deaths occur annually because of this. 

 Habitat

     The puffer fish's habitat can be very different.   Most varieties of puffer fish live in tropical regions and warm coral reefs.  Others live in the ocean but travel to fresh water to breed or feed.  Then there are some types of puffer fish that only stay in fresh water. As you can see the habitat of the puffer fish varies.

Defenses 

     The puffer fish is able to fill their elastic like stomachs with water when they feel threatened.  This makes them look like a sphere with pricks.  So if a predator was about to try and eat them they could quickly blow up, scare the predator away and go somewhere safe.  But if the predator gets a hold of the puffer fish when it is swelled up it would have a hard time biting into them anyways since they have tough skin.  Puffer fish also produce a poisonous chemical that is found in their internal organs.   This will harm the predator that eats them, if that ever happens. The poisonous chemical in their bodies is so strong that it can kill about thirty adults.

Reproduction

     When puffer fishes mate the male fish slowly pushes the female to the surface of the water.  The female lays her eggs and they are sphere shaped and floating.  Then in about four days the eggs hatch.  The newborns are usually yellow with red spots and are fairly well developed.

Appearance

     Puffer fish have thick, leathery, skin and do not have any scales. They have small mouths, fins, and spines deep down in their pores.  So when the puffer fish is calm you can not see the spines but when it feels threatened their spines can quickly become visible as they fill themselves with water. When they are puffed up they are almost spherical. This is easy for them because they don't have any ribs or pelvic bones.  But to keep themselves form blowing up too much they have special controls in their muscles to stop the expansion. Puffer fishes are generally small about three to twenty inches but some can grow as large as three feet.  

Diet

     The puffer fish like to feed on invertebrates, algae, clams, mussels, shellfish, mollusks, crabs, snails, sea urchins, corals, sponges, and other crustacean animals.  They like to grind up their prey with their heavy teeth.

Interesting Facts 

- The puffer fish is the second most poisonous animal in the world.

- The puffer fish is actually a very slow fish.

- Many types of puffer fish can change the patterns on their skin to match their environment.

- Puffer fish are very aggressive towards each other.

Puffer Fish Pictures:

http://www.thecutereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/pic_754591001187533810.jpg

This is a puffer fish all puffed up.

The puffer fish before it is puffed up.

http://detroitnet.org/uploads/files/x/000/01d/353/puffer_fish.jpg

http://rkmalar.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/10.jpg  

 This is a puffer fish up against the lens of a camera.

Other credits:

 http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4872488/2/istockphoto_4872488-puffer-fish-cartoon.jpg 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://drawinghowtodraw.com/stepbystepdrawinglessons/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/howtodrawablowfish-finished2.png&imgrefurl=http://drawinghowtodraw.com/stepbystepdrawinglessons/2009/10/how-to-draw-a-cartoon-blowfish-aka-puffer-fish-step-by-step-drawing-tutorial-for-kids/&usg=__L7DCDjlYO2PKoBXz1OzK85pExsg=&h=251&w=339&sz=31&hl=en&start=24&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=EV9qoSTTMtxs8M:&tbnh=88&tbnw=119&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpuffer%2Bfish%2Bdrawing%26ndsp%3D17%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4HPND_enUS223US241%26sa%3DN%26start%3D17%26um%3D1 

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4872466/2/istockphoto_4872466-puffer-fish.jpg

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