How does a puffer fish puff up under water?

At the institute, the biologists put their fish into custom-built respirometers and then simulated the presence of a predator by applying light suction to the fish and squeezing them gently. That does sound pretty creepy, from a pufferfish point of view. read more

But a puffer fish can only puff 3-8 times in a row after they have spotted a predator. “Puffing up” is really taxing on the puffer fish body and after they puff just once, it was observed that they breath heavily for 5 hours and 31 minutes. read more

Several related fish species in the wild have a unique method of protecting themselves from predators. The Tetraodontidae and the Diodontidae both puff themselves up with air or water in order to scare off the fish that want to eat them. Their more commonly known names include the globefish, porcupinefish, and pufferfish. read more

The fry are tiny, but under magnification have a shape usually reminiscent of a pufferfish. They have a functional mouth and eyes, and must eat within a few days. Brackish-water puffers may breed in bays in a similar manner to marine species, or may breed more similarly to the freshwater species, in cases where they have moved far enough upriver. read more