 TETRAODONTIDAE Puffer fish
Short, stout-bodied fishes. Fused teeth form powerful beak. Gill plate absent, only small slit. Matching soft-rayed dorsal and anal fins. Skin below lateral line covered with small spines or naked. Pelvic fin absent, pectorals rounded. Caudal fin rounded and truncate. These curious little fish have powerful beak-like jaws for crushing molluscs and crustaceans. Often caught off piers and breakwaters, and should be handled carefully. When alarmed, they blow themselves up like small balloons and make a loud squeaking noise! Although some species are considered a delicacy in other parts of the world, most have highly poisonous livers, and should be left well alone!
|
