Arothron hispidus (1) Puffer Fish Osteichthyes Teleostei Tetraodontidae

Description

Origin : Pacific Ocean (Japan)

Size : cm 5-7

Puffer Fish Arothron hispidus cm 5-7 Osteichthyes Teleostei Tetraodontidae, stuffed in inflated position, as in photo.
You can hang it by the nylon cord with wicker ring. Porcupine or Hystrix Fish are also available at this link.
Family: Tetraodontidae.
Common name: Common Puffer Fish.

Tetraodontids are a family of freshwater and saltwater bony fish, belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, commonly known as pufferfish. They are morphologically very similar to Diodontidae, commonly known as porcupine fish, which have large external spines on their body unlike puffer fish which have much thinner and generally hidden spines which can only be observed when the fish inflates into a ball. The name Tetraodontidae comes from the Greek language with the meaning of "four teeth" and refers to the fact that puffer fish all have 4 large teeth fused into two very hard plates, an upper and a lower one, used by powerful muscles to break the shells or the exoskeletal structure of molluscs, crustaceans or corals, their natural prey. Most pufferfish are venomous and some are even among the most venomous vertebrates in existence. In fact, in some species some internal organs such as the liver, and sometimes even the skin, contain tetrodotoxin, one of the most potent neurotoxins known.
Although it is not an excellent swimmer due to the rigidity of its body, the puffer fish is not an object of predation as it is equipped with two particular defense systems: it is able to quickly swallow large quantities of water, becoming very large and difficult to swallow even for large predators; furthermore, its viscera and muscles contain a very powerful poison, tetradotoxin, a neurotoxin that inhibits respiratory function, quickly leading to death.