This blog posting is all about our pufferfish amigos in Puerto Vallarta which I have become more than slightly fascinated with. I fondly refer to my husband as “Senor Fish Man” and I am fortunate that he has introduced me to the incredible marine world of fish and specifically the Puffer family who have become my favorites.
Introducing one of our grandsons to a special yellow puffer many, many years ago!
In our household we refer to a good day as a "Puffer-kind-of Day" and I look forward to introducing you to this family of fish. For a woman who only knew "gold fish" in a small fish bowl while growing up I think I have made some real progress in learning about the amazing world of marine fish life. So if you are ready, please join me in this introduction to the "Puffers" of Puerto Vallarta and I look forward to your company.
This is my favorite photo of a white-spotted puffer. Our local puffers are somewhat different in appearance, but I couldn't resist sharing this handsome face.
So if you are ready let's meet the Pufferfish tribe. There are more than 120 species of pufferfish worldwide and most are found in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, but some species live in brackish and or even fresh water.
The Puffer family includes many familiar species which are variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, fugu, and sea squab.
The Pufferfish family has more than one hundred and twenty species (yikes!) which live mostly in the warm waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. There are, however, approximately thirty species of Puffers that live in fresh water.
Pufferfish can instinctively inflate their bodies as soon as they hatch. They received their name because when threatened they puff up to about three times their normal size by gulping water. This helps them appear more intimidating to potential predators and makes them more difficult to bite and consequently not very appetizing to a predator.
This is one of my favorite photos with a beautiful and rare yellow puffer.
A white and yellow puffer who I believe knows he is special and he couldn't help but show off.
Another Puffer amigo who definitely wanted to get away from the crazy gringos with their underwater camera.
The Porcupine Puffers
Some members of the Puffer family are also covered in spines which makes them even more unappetizing. These puffers are in the family of "porcupine" puffers which I find awesome.
Porcupine Puffers are a medium to large sized fish found in shallow temperate tropical seas worldwide. A few species are found much further out from shore where large schools of thousands of individuals can occur. The Porcupine fish is generally slow moving, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily easy to catch which we have found out from personal experience.
This porcupine fish we call
"Al Jolson" the vaudeville comedian from the early 1900's because when it puffs up he has a brown face with white lips.
Another handsome porcupine fish that we caught on camera before he extended his spines and made his get-away.
Porcupine fish have the ability to inflate their bodies by swallowing water or air thereby becoming bigger and rounder. This increase in size which is 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.
This porcupine fish I found incredibly handsome with what looked like blue eyes before he puffed up and made his get away.
The spines on a puffed up Porcupine Puffer definitely need a sturdy pair of dive gloves to avoid injury.
I believe this Porcupine puffer was taking a mini-siesta when we spotted him.
The Boxfish Puffers
The family of Puffers also includes Boxfish which I refer to as "Jewel boxes" because of the pretty colors of the males of the species.
Boxfish belong to the Ostraciidae family and are often referred to as Trunkfish or Cowfish. There are twenty-three species of boxfish. Boxfish reach an average size of three inches in an aquarium while in the wild they can grow to over 19 inches in length.
From the thin layer of skin covering the fish's armor these small fish secrete a toxin called ostracitoxin when threatened. The poison doesn't harm humans, but an upset boxfish can certainly be a disaster in an aquarium!
Boxfish reach an average size of three inches in an aquarium while in the wild they can grow to over 19 inches in length. They are my favorite of the Puffers because of their colorful design and shape and it is always a special day when we happen upon one of them.
The Bullseye Puffers
The Bullseye puffer is a resident of all the Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean. Freshly-caught Bullseye Puffers are easy to identify due to the markings on their back which looks like a "bullseye" and cannot be confused with any other species.
Like many Puffers the Bullseye Puffer should be considered highly poisonous, even fatal, if eaten due to the potential presence of saxitoxin, and/or tetrodotoxin which are paralytic shellfish toxins. These toxins are most likely found in their skin, viscera, and gonads and is believed to protect them from predation by larger fish. My advice: take photographs, but no touchy!
Whew! I don't know about you, but I am totally pooped from visiting our Pufferfish amigos. Here is the link which will take you to our photograph album with huge thanks to my "fishman" husband:
PUFFERFISH MASTER PHOTO ALBUM
I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to our Pufferfish amigos and I look forward to seeing you again in the near future. Until then, saludos! Laura
P.S. And here is the link to my blog posting on our Pacific Coast Bird amigos in Mexico in case you need a bird break from our Pufferfish amigos:
OUR PACIFIC COAST BIRD AMIGOS IN MEXICO
