Description
Porcupine
fishes are the biggest kind of pufferfishes. They grow to be about
3 feet long. They are wide at the head and get thinner by the tail.
They are tan with black and white dots. Porcupinefishes have spines
all over their bodies. Normally the spines can't be seen. When it's
scared, it gulps water to puff up and the spines stand up straight.
It has two teeth that make a beak that it uses to crush food.
Habitat
Porcupinefishes
are found in tropical oceans all over the world. Adults live close
to the shore and by reefs. They can be found hiding under small cliffs.
The young porcupinefishes live in the open ocean.
Diet
Pufferfishes
eat crustaceans and mollusks like smelt, squid and krill. They use
their teeth to scrape and crush the shells of crustaceans.
Enemies
Sharks
are the only real predators. A porcupinefish cannot swim very fast,
but if an enemy get too close the it puffs up. When it puffs up,
it looks bigger and the spines stick up making it hard to eat. Any
animal that tries to bite it will have to spit it out or choke to death.
Interesting
Facts
Some
people like to eat porcupinefishes. A chef has to be careful when
cooking a porcupinefish because some of the body parts are poisonous.
The bodies of porcupinefishes have been used for many different things.
People have used them for helmets, lanterns, and decorations.
References:
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