PufferFish by Josh Leopardi 

Description 

They are similar to the closely related porcupine fish, which have large external spines. The scientific name refers to the four large teeth, attached into an upper and lower bowl, which are used for crushing the shells of crustaceans and mollusks, their natural prey.

Habitat 

There are around 100 different varieties of puffer fish and they are found in coral reefs in the India, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Many puffer fish can be found in fresh water as well. Most puffer fish are found in sub-tropical and tropical marine waters along the coastlines. 

Prey

 A few puffers have a diet consisting of mainly fish, but most need a diet of hard-shelled meaty foods, such as crabs, crayfish, clams, scallops, snails, and mussels. 

Predator 

The main predators of puffer fish are people, sharks, animals and other fish. Also known as the blowfish and toadfish, a puffer fish is medium sized and are among the most poisonous creatures on the planet.

Symbiosis 

The pufferfish has a mutualistic relationship with is coral. The pufferfish has a relationship with the coral reef because a coral reef holds clams and sea snails that the puffer fish eats. The pufferfish helps the coral reef by eating the small little fish that live in it, because if the pufferfish didn't eat any of the coral reef fish, then the coral reef would overflow with fish.

Species comparison with the stingray 

Similarities:

• They are both carnivores
• They both live in the great barrier reef
• They are both vertebrate
• Both live in warm sub-tropical areas
• They both have poisonous spikes that can kill a human
• They both use coral reef as their hunting grounds

Differences:

• The are completely different sizes
• The stingray lives around 15 years and the puffer fish only lives for 5 years at the most.
• Puffer fish has many spikes and the stingray only has 1
• The stingray is flat and the puffer fish is round

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tetraodontidae 

• This page was last modified on 21 May 2013 at 06:57.

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