Tropicarium Park | At the discovery of … puffer fish!

There are many types of fish in the ocean, some have hydrodynamic bodies and powerful muscles that allow them to make sudden movements to quickly capture their prey; others, however, have unique characteristics and look nice. Here we will talk about slow and sometimes awkward-looking fish, which, however, have developed effective and lethal defence techniques. Can you guess what kind of fish are we talking about? Well, that’s the puffer fish! Now let’s discover its secrets!

The puffer fish belongs to the Tetraodontidae family, because they have 4 strong teeth that form a beak, the ideal tool for breaking shells and shells of the invertebrates on which they feed. Unlike the other fish, they live in different habitats and can be found among marine corals, in the open sea, in shallow coastal waters, but also in brackish and fresh waters.

The puffer fish has a truly unique shape: in fact, it has an oval body and a rounded head, to which the powerful beak is attached. The size of these animals may vary from a few centimetres to almost 70 cm, even if most of the specimens do not exceed 30 cm. The colours are very diversified; some have the body painted in bright colours, while others show softer colours.

The skin of puffer fish is naked, i.e. without scales. In fact, they have been replaced by real thorns that, depending on the species, make the skin of these animals prickly. The possibility of turning into a ball is a defence strategy. This mechanism makes it a difficult prey to bite, as it swells in dangerous situations, both in the water and out of it.

The puffer fish also has a lethal defence mechanism: it releases a deadly poison, a transparent liquid containing a neurotoxin, the tetradotoxin, which paralyses the muscles involved in breathing and heart beating. Have you ever seen one live?

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