An introduction to puffers

An Introduction to Puffers

Puffers are a fairly small group of fish. Dr. Klaus Ebert suggests there may be something like 150 species. But the taxonomy is highly uncertain. They are largely tropical; a few temperate, with no cold water species known to date, and are worldwide in distribution. Fewer than 40 species are considered freshwater (FW) or brackish water (BW). Obviously most puffers are marine (SW), but a number of those are sometimes found in brackish or even fresh water as juveniles. Puffer size ranges from about an inch at maturity (the two, or perhaps three, "new" species of FW dwarf puffers) to over two feet standard length in FW, almost to four feet for SW. Standard length, by the way, is the measure nose to caudal peduncle, not including the caudal fin itself.More...
All known puffers are predatory, some preying on snails, shellfish, and crustaceans by active hunting, others are lurking predators of other fish (piscivores). In captivity most can be trained to frozen foods along with live. Their strongest fam

 

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