Fish that puff up into a ball when threatened. Most species are toxic, some among the most poisonous vertebrates in the world, because their organs and sometimes skin contain tetrodotoxin.
Quick answers
What is it?Fish
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?Yes
Eating the wrong parts is often fatal: the liver and sometimes the skin carry tetrodotoxin.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
A few puffers are kept and even bred in home aquariums.
Do people eat it?In places
It is a delicacy in Japan (fugu), Korea and China, prepared only by specially trained chefs.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast, Rivers & lakes
ColoursBrown, Yellow
SizeSmall
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for10 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Seas and some fresh waters.
Did you know
Its toxin is about 100 times more potent than cyanide.
Its close relative the porcupinefish has large spines; a puffer’s thin spines show only when it inflates.
Often confused with
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