FUGU- Balloon Fish

FUGU- Balloon Fish

Where does it live?

The balloon fish is associated with tropical coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds, and rocky seabeds. It can be found around the world. In the Atlantic, it is found from the Bahamas to western Brazil, and in the Pacific, it is distributed widely through the numerous island groups. It is a shallow water animal types, once in a while daring to profundities of more than 100m.

In Times of Danger Inflate Yourself

The inflatable fish, with its spiky body and blotched hue, is a great looking occupant of the warm, beach front waters of the tropics. It is a nighttime seeker, liking to spend the day emitted in fissure or little buckles. At the point when sunsets, the fish leaves its daytime asylum to start its lurking, nearly embracing the coral or shake of its home and just once in a while wandering into more untamed water. The underwater performance of the balloon fish is far from electrifying. The lit-tle fi ns and weak tail provide good stability but limited power. Fortunately, the favored prey of the inflatable fish are not the kind of creatures that can leave an eager predator disorientated in a billow of residue. Its favored goodies are snails, ocean urchins, coral polyps, and loner crabs, which can all be quickly dispatched with the inflatable fish's hard mouth and solid jaw muscles. The reef at nighttime is not the safest place to be. Many predators have retired for the night, but under the cover of darkness, other, fierce animals lurk. The balloon fish is just the size to be on the menu of many self-respecting reef predators, yet it casually searches for its dinner with scarcely a care in the world. This nonchalance is not without good reason, because if the balloon fish is threatened by a predator, it has one of the most fantastic defensive tactics in the whole animal kingdom. Rapidly, the fish sucks water into its very elastic stomach. The stomach keeps swelling until it takes up most of the fish’s body, and it keeps on distending until the whole fish starts to infl ate. As the body grows, the spines on its surface become erect, until the fish looks like a huge, spiky ball. To the confident predator, what once had all the earmarks of being a delicious tidbit currently looks quite scary. Sometimes, a predator’s lunge may be very rapid, and the balloon fish may not have time to infl ate itself and ward the danger off. In these situations, the predator may swallow the balloon fish, which is more than enough to trigger its defensive ploy. The swollen, spiky fish sticks fast in the predator’s throat, and it will take a whole lot more than mouthful of water or a pat on the back to dislodge it. Both the inflatable fish and the predator will pass on in such an experience, however generally, expansive reef seekers will know to give this uncommon fish a wide berth as soon as it starts infl ating.

The balloon fish is a type of porcupine fish, of which there are 19 species. They are closely related to puffer fish, which have a similar defensive ability, but not quite as pronounced.

The internal organs of these fish, such as the ovaries and liver, contain a potent toxin known as tetrodotoxin, which is at least 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.
It acts on the nerves, disabling their ability to transmit electrical signals.

Tetrodotoxin is produced by several types of bacteria dwelling inside the fish. Interestingly, the bacteria are somehow obtained from the fish’s diet. Fish bred in captivity are not poisonous.

In the Far East, especially Japan, the flesh of the puffer fish and its relatives is a rare delicacy. The term fugu is applied to both the fish and its meat. As food, the meat of these fish requires very careful preparation by very experienced chefs. The toxin is not damaged by washing or cooking, and an ill-judged fi lleting or misplaced slice can easily cause the accidental, fatal poisoning of a fugu lover.A drug called tectin has been developed from tetrodotoxin, which shows great potential as a powerful pain reliever that is able to dull the discomfort of cancer and drug withdrawal.

The balloon fish and other types of porcupine fish are also fond of nibbling coral to extract the succulent polyps within. The calcium carbonate skeleton of the coral is swallowed, and some fish have been caught with over 500 g of the crushed material in their stomachs.

For reasons that are not yet comprehended, the puffer fish and its kinfolk have the littlest genomes of any known vertebrate. Their complement of DNA appears to have little of the surplus carried by other species.

Even out of water these fish can infl ate themselves quite happily using air, but due to the different properties of air and water, they have difficulty defl ating themselves and can only do so if returned to the water.

In the Far East, the dried, infl ated bodies of these fish are often made into curios or bizarre lanterns illuminated from the inside by an electric bulb. The Pacific islanders once used the dried, swollen bodies to make fetching ceremonial helmets.