What Is the Height of a Puffer Fish?

Marine puffer fish inhabit coral reefs, eel grass beds and sand flats in oceans around the world, while brackish and freshwater species of puffer fish live in lagoon mouths and rivers. These fascinating tropical fish possess a highly lethal toxin called tetrodotoxin, but it is their ability to inflate their bodies that is most typically noted of these creatures. Puffer fish are not powerful swimmers, so they rely on this expanding ability to deter potential predators.

  1. Tall Fish

    • Members of the puffer fish family range in size from a 1-inch-long dwarf species to a 2-foot-long freshwater species. Puffer fish are able to swallow sufficient amounts of either water or air to inflate their bodies into an almost complete sphere. Although many species of puffer fish exist, they all have a very similar body design. A 6-inch long puffer fish will be approximately 2 inches high when not inflated. This fish will be between 5 and 6 inches tall once inflated. Certain species of puffer fish possess spines that add to the fearsomeness of the inflated fish. Puffer fish that have ingested water or air will immediately be far taller than their original, somewhat ventrally flattened shape allowed for. Puffers that are inflated look completely different than those that are not.

    Elastic Stomach

    • Puffer fish have extremely elastic stomachs that immediately fill with water if the puffer fish becomes alarmed. These fish will engulf air if they're removed from the water. When they inflate, they're up to 3 times larger than they exist under unstressed conditions. Despite having very flexible stomachs, puffer fish are not always able to expel the air they have sucked in, and they can die from the inability to dispel it.

    Escaping Predators

    • Puffer fish are exposed to many predators as they search for crabs, molluscs and sea urchins on which to feed. Should a predator grab a puffer fish, the puffer fish will inflate its body. This often startles the hunter, which will immediately release the puffer, or the puffer fish will become lodged in the larger fish's mouth and gets released at that point. Predator fish always swallow their prey head first, and they normally target fish they can engulf whole. Puffer fish that are not inflated fit this bill nicely, until they ingest water and their amazingly spherical shape makes them particularly tall.

    Incompatible Tank Mates

    • Puffer fish can be aggressive toward other members of their species in the confines of an aquarium. The aquarist should separate individuals that show repeated aggression toward each other to prevent the fish from puffing up and to prevent injury. Puffers that have become afraid and have ingested water are not able to swim correctly. These large and tall individuals can be sucked against the intake of a filter, facing serious damage.