Facts on Puffer Fishes

One of the things that many small fish have to worry about is being attacked and eaten by larger fish. Escaping by swimming rapidly may be an option for some fish, but this won't work for puffer fish. They swim slowly and awkwardly making them easy prey for predators. But puffer fish have another trick that allows them to live another day.

  1. Inflation

    • Puffer fish, also called blowfish, can avoid being eaten because they can inflate their bodies into a sphere. Using their highly stretchable stomachs, puffer fish can take in large volumes of water or even air when they're out of the water, until their bodies are as round as a ball. A predator will have trouble trying to get its mouth around a puffer fish while fully inflated. For this reason many puffer fish predators will give up in hopes of finding something easier to swallow.

    Poison

    • Even after inflation, some predators may still try to get their mouths on a puffer fish. However, the body of puffer fish produces high levels of a neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin. The toxin will be produced at high levels in internal organs such as the liver and lower levels in the intestines and muscles. The poison in a puffer fish is more than enough to kill its attacker.

    Diet

    • While they may be on the menu of larger fish, puffer fish have a pretty hefty appetite themselves. The puffer fish hunts smaller ocean dwellers and feed mostly on crustaceans and mollusks. Although much of their prey have a protective shell, the puffer fish's jaws are strong enough to break them. Clams, shrimp and other fish can also be targeted by a hungry puffer fish.

    Humans Eating Puffer Fish

    • In Japan humans consume puffer fish, but if it isn't properly prepared, they could suffer puffer fish poisoning. This happens every year, and It can take less than 15 minutes after consumption for a person to begin experiencing symptoms. A numb mouth as well as the urge to throw up are the usual first symptoms. Other symptoms include vomiting, passing out and shutting down of the respiratory system. Because these symptoms could be fatal, medical attention should be sought immediately by anyone who begins to show signs of puffer fish poisoning.