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Porcupinefish
Porcupinefish are fish belonging to the family Diodontidae (order Tetraodontiformes), also commonly called blowfish and, sometimes, balloonfish and globefish. They are sometimes collectively called pufferfish, not to be confused with the morphologically similar and closely related Tetraodontidae, which are more commonly given this name. Porcupinefish are medium- to large-sized fish, and are found in shallow temperate and tropical seas worldwide. A few species are found much further out from shore, wherein large schools of thousands of individuals can occur. They are generally slow-moving. Porcupinefish have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air, thereby becoming rounder. This increase in size (almost double vertically) reduces the range of potential predators to those with much bigger mouths. A second defense mechanism is provided by the sharp spines, which radiate outwards when the fish is inflated. Some species are poisonous, having tetrodotoxin in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diodon
Porcupinefishes or balloonfishes, are any of the various species of the genus ''Diodon'', the type genus of Diodontidae. Distinguishing features Fish of the genus ''Diodon'' have: * two-rooted, movable spines (which are derived from modified scales) distributed over their bodies. * beak-like jaws, used to crush their hard-shelled prey (crustaceans and molluscs). They differ from the swelltoads and burrfishes (genera ''Cyclichthys'' and ''Chilomycterus'', respectively), which, in contrast, have fixed, rigid spines. Defense mechanisms * Like true pufferfishes of the related family Tetraodontidae, porcupinefishes can inflate themselves. Once inflated, a porcupinefish's erected spines stand perpendicular to the skin, whereupon they then pose a major difficulty to their predators: a large porcupinefish that is fully inflated can choke a shark to death. According to Charles Darwin in ''The Voyage Of the Beagle'' (1845), Darwin was told by a Doctor Allen of Forres, UK that the Diod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diodon Nicthemerus
Porcupinefishes or balloonfishes, are any of the various species of the genus ''Diodon'', the type genus of Diodontidae. Distinguishing features Fish of the genus ''Diodon'' have: * two-rooted, movable spines (which are derived from modified scales) distributed over their bodies. * beak-like jaws, used to crush their hard-shelled prey (crustaceans and molluscs). They differ from the swelltoads and burrfishes (genera ''Cyclichthys'' and ''Chilomycterus'', respectively), which, in contrast, have fixed, rigid spines. Defense mechanisms * Like true pufferfishes of the related family Tetraodontidae, porcupinefishes can inflate themselves. Once inflated, a porcupinefish's erected spines stand perpendicular to the skin, whereupon they then pose a major difficulty to their predators: a large porcupinefish that is fully inflated can choke a shark to death. According to Charles Darwin in ''The Voyage Of the Beagle'' (1845), Darwin was told by a Doctor Allen of Forres, UK that the Diod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetraodontiformes
The Tetraodontiformes are an order of highly derived ray-finned fish, also called the Plectognathi. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the order Perciformes. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by 10 extant families and at least 349 species overall; most are marine and dwell in and around tropical coral reefs, but a few species are found in freshwater streams and estuaries. They have no close relatives, and descend from a line of coral-dwelling species that emerged around 80 million years ago. Description Various bizarre forms are included here, all radical departures from the streamlined body plan typical of most fishes. These forms range from nearly square or triangular (boxfishes), globose ( pufferfishes) to laterally compressed ( filefishes and triggerfishes). They range in size from '' Rudarius excelsus'' (a filefish), measuring just in length, to the ocean sunfish, the largest of all bony fishes at up to in length and weighing over 2 tonnes. Most members ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slender-spined Porcupine Fish
The slender-spined porcupine fish or globefish''Melbourne's Wildlife'' (Museum Victoria, 2006), 324. (''Diodon nicthemerus'') is a porcupinefish of the family Diodontidae, found in the waters of southern Australia, as far north as Port Jackson to Geraldton, Western Australia. It is most common in Port Phillip Bay and the coastal waters of Tasmania in shallow coastal waters and under manmade jetties. It is known to occur at a depth range of 1 to 70 m (3 to 230 ft). ''Diodon nicthemerus'' is similar in appearance and size to the three-bar porcupinefish ('' Dicotylichthys punctulatus''), with both species reaching around 40 cm (15.7 inches) in total length, although patterning and morphology can differentiate the two. It is nocturnal, occasionally forms small groups, and feeds on benthic zone invertebrates. It possesses slender yellow spines used for defence against predators and has the ability to inflate its body so its sharp spines protrude when alarmed. References {{Taxonbar, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
