Puffer Fish

by annie · Published October 29, 2012 · Updated November 15, 2012

Puffer Fish in Costa Rica

Puffer fish populate most of the water in and around Costa Rica, especially the Pacific Ocean. These fish belong to the family Tetraodontidae which is a huge branch of marine fish. Many types are included under this family namely puffer fish, puffers, balloon fish, blowfish, bubble fish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads and sea squab. The entire family contains many similar species which resemble blowfish but have minor changes to help differentiate between the species. Puffer fish in Costa Rica have been found to have a close relation to porcupine fish in the sea and ocean. These two would look exactly the same except for a few differences: porcupine fish have large spines extending from their body which they use to harm other fish or to catch prey; whereas the spines of the puffer fish only come out when it is puffed up to full form. The puffer fish or blowfish as it is called in some areas, has thin spines that elongate from it’s body only when it puffs itself up. Otherwise, they are hidden inside the puffer fish’s skin. It has been given the scientific name “Tetraodontidae” because it means that the fish has large teeth inside it’s jaw which are helpful for feeding on their preferred prey: hard shelled crustaceans in the ocean. The puffer fish feed almost exclusively on crabs and mollusks and sometimes even baby lobsters.

In terms of being lethal, puffer fish have been rated the second highest deadly vertebrates in the entire world! They are second only to the golden poison frog. The puffer fish looks cute and small to most humans, but it’s appearance is highly deceiving because the puffer fish can be deadly. If a puffer fish is consumed by another predator, they can die from the high level of poison in the fish’s skin or liver. It is lethal and full of toxin for most animals, which is why consuming the puffer fish often can cause death. But in some parts of Asia, the meat of the puffer fish is considered an elite delicacy. The tricky part is to figure out which parts of the meat are safe to consume and which ones are dangerous. Chefs preparing meat of the puffer fish also have to be careful in the amount of meat that they serve because even safe to eat meat may have a high level of toxin if eaten in large quantities.

The puffer fish is usually found exclusively in warmer waters and tropical places like Costa Rica and the Pacific Ocean. It is almost unheard of for a puffer fish to be found in the colder climate and waters of the Northern area. Usually, puffer fish are very small in size although some of their types can grow up to 40 inches. Dude to their small sizes, puffer fish may just be the most underestimated creatures in the sea. While in actuality, these are the second deadliest in the world when it comes to natural poison and body armor.