Porcupine Pufferfish - Diodontidae |
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With their large expressive eyes & often curious nature, Porcupine Pufferfish are regular favourites with divers. They are relatively big for reef fish and have a body that is entirely covered in short spines.
When stressed or threatened they have the ability to suck in water to increase the size of their bodies, giving them their name. When fully inflated, their spines stick straight out from their rounded bodies, making them impossible for all but the biggest of mouths to swallow.
Unlike many reef fish they can be quite curious and if not sleeping on the reef will often approach divers for a closer look, maybe a result of their confidence in their amazing defences. |
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With their large, expressive eyes & often curious nature, Porcupine Pufferfish are regular favourites with divers. |
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 Porcupine Pufferfish are a small family consisting of just 19 individual species, around 6 of which are found in South-east Asian waters. All species have a similar body shape and are covered with numerous sharp spines. In some species these spines are fixed pointing directly outwards. In others, the spines lie flat, only pointing outwards when the fish is inflated. Alternate names include Burrfish and Balloonfish.
Adult Porcupine Pufferfish vary in size from the tiny 20cm Obicular Burrfish (Cyclichthys obicularus) up to the Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix) at 70cm. |
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Porcupine Pufferfish have the ability to inflate their bodies. |
Because Porcupine Pufferfish have many natural defences, they tend to be slow moving and docile. Some individuals have been know to be very curious, swimming up to divers and accompanying them through the water as they swim.
Porcupine pufferfish are usually solitary and are only seen in pairs or small groups when mating. |
Porcupine Pufferfish are found throughout sub-tropical and tropical waters. Some species can be quite common in a specific location.
Juvenile Porcupine Pufferfish are usually pelagic, settling inshore when they reach a certain size. They feed at night, foraging around on the sand or reef bottom. In the day they are often seen resting under overhangs or in crevices as they hunt primarily at night. They are usually found near the sea bed or hovering in mid-water.
Porcupine Pufferfish feed on reef invertebrates such as sea urchins, molluscs and crustaceans. They feed at night using their hard-plated mouth to break open the shells of their prey. Their teeth never stop growing and need to be kept in trim with constant chewing on hard corals, rocks and shells.
Little is know about the reproduction of Porcupine Pufferfish and telling the sexes apart is very difficult. It is assumed they pair together to mate, releasing pelagic eggs.
Pocupine Pufferfish have an array of highly effective defence mechanisms. They are they able to suck in water and inflate their bodies to twice its original size. In addition, their inflated bodies are covered in short sharp spines making it very difficult for a predator to take a bite. Their strong hard jaws - capable of crunching through the hardest of shells - also work well to deter predators. Just in case predators are still interested, the flesh of Porcupine Pufferfish is also highly poisonous, containing tetradoxin, an extremely powerful poison. All in all, despite their endearing appearance, Porcupine Pufferfish are more than a match for most predators.
Porcupine pufferfish are often sold dead and dried as souvenirs in the tourist trade. They are also easily stressed and become vulnerable if they have cause to inflate their bodies too many times. If they inflate near the surface they can inflate with air instead of water, causing internal damage.
Porcupine Pufferfish can recognize feeders in captivity and often behave like dogs, swimming to the top of their tanks to await food. They are ranked as one of the "Smart" fish, with a higher than average intelligence.
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- Porcupinefish
- Black Blotched Porcupine Pufferfish
- Spotbase Burrfish
Largest family member, up to 90cm in length. Yellow or beige colour with many small black dots and a paler underside. They are found throughout the world’s tropical waters, and are extremely common in certain areas.
Juveniles are pelagic, settling on the reef when they reach around 20cm in size. Often very curious, adults search out shallow lagoons and seaward reefs and can often be found sheltering under ledges or in caves during the day.
This species can reach up to 60cm in length, An uncharacteristically shy member of the family, it often wedges itself into crevices or under ledges during the day.
Inhabiting reefs from the Red Sea to Austrailia, it is easily identified by its distinctive black blotches on its creamy yellow skin.
Only 35cm in length, this is one of the smaller family members. It can be spotted from the Red Sea to Austrailia & often lives in or near seagrass.
Like all family members, it tends to feed at night on molluscs and crustaceans and spends its days getting some rest.
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| Turtles are a favourite sighting on many reefs still lucky enough to have them. They seem to have lots of character and often appear to cry, due to the secretion of salts & fluids from a gland near the eyes... |
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Sometimes it is difficult to remember the important features of a fish, or even to know which features are the most important for identification.
We try and make fish identification a little easier by talking you through some of the key features that help you identify one species from another... |
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Identification
Behaviour
Popular Species