Biologists think pufferfish, also known as blowfish, developed
their famous “inflatability” because their slow, somewhat clumsy
swimming style makes them vulnerable to predators. In lieu of escape,
pufferfish use their highly elastic stomachs and the ability to quickly
ingest huge amounts of water (and even air when necessary) to turn
themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal
size. Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less
palatable.
A predator that manages to snag a puffer before it
inflates won’t feel lucky for long. Almost all pufferfish contain
tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal
to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more
poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill
30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.
Amazingly, the meat of some pufferfish is considered a delicacy. Called
fugu
in Japan, it is extremely expensive and only prepared by trained,
licensed chefs who know that one bad cut means almost certain death for a
customer. In fact, many such deaths occur annually.
There are
more than 120 species of pufferfish worldwide. Most are found in
tropical and subtropical ocean waters, but some species live in brackish
and even fresh water. They have long, tapered bodies with bulbous
heads. Some wear wild markings and colors to advertise their toxicity,
while others have more muted or cryptic coloring to blend in with their
environment.
They range in size from the 1-inch-long
(2.5-centimeter-long) dwarf or pygmy puffer to the freshwater giant
puffer, which can grow to more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) in length.
They are scaleless fish and usually have rough to spiky skin. All have
four teeth that are fused together into a beak-like form.
The diet
of the pufferfish includes mostly invertebrates and algae. Large
specimens will even crack open and eat clams, mussels, and shellfish
with their hard beaks. Poisonous puffers are believed to synthesize
their deadly toxin from the bacteria in the animals they eat.
Some
species of pufferfish are considered vulnerable due to pollution,
habitat loss, and overfishing, but most populations are considered
stable.
Anglerfish
Looking like something out of a science fiction movie, the anglerfish uses a natural lure to draw its next meal nearer.
Photograph by Bruce Robison/Corbis
Map
Anglerfish Range
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Fish
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Size:
- 8 in (20 cm) up to 3.3 ft (1 m)
- Weight:
- Up to 110 lbs (50 kg)
- Group name:
- School
- Did you know?
- The anglerfish's lighted lure glows with the help of millions of bioluminescent bacteria.
- Size relative to a tea cup:
-
The angry-looking deep sea anglerfish has a right to be cranky. It
is quite possibly the ugliest animal on the planet, and it lives in
what is easily Earth's most inhospitable habitat: the lonely, lightless
bottom of the sea.
There are more than 200 species of anglerfish,
most of which live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic
oceans, up to a mile below the surface, although some live in shallow,
tropical environments. Generally dark gray to dark brown in color, they
have huge heads and enormous crescent-shaped mouths filled with sharp,
translucent teeth. Some angler fish can be quite large, reaching 3.3
feet (1 meter) in length. Most however are significantly smaller, often
less than a foot.
Their most distinctive feature, worn only by
females, is a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths
like a fishing pole—hence their name. Tipped with a lure of luminous
flesh this built-in rod baits prey close enough to be snatched. Their
mouths are so big and their bodies so pliable, they can actually swallow
prey up to twice their own size.
The male, which is significantly
smaller than the female, has no need for such an adaptation. In lieu of
continually seeking the vast abyss for a female, it has evolved into a
permanent parasitic mate. When a young, free-swimming male angler
encounters a female, he latches onto her with his sharp teeth. Over
time, the male physically fuses with the female, connecting to her skin
and bloodstream and losing his eyes and all his internal organs except
the testes. A female will carry six or more males on her body.
Source : http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Pufferfish Range
