PorcupineFish

Porcupine Fish are nektons.Nektons swim without the use of the flow of the water.

.

Why Does a Porcupinefish Puff Up?

PorcupineFish

It can puff up almost the size of a basketball!

Porcupinefish are about 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) long and live in the warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They can aslo be found in almost all tropical regions. These fish eat snails, crabs, and sea urchins.

A porcupinefish inflates, or puffs up, to protect itself. The fish has flat, needlelike spines all over its body. If an enemy scares it, the porcupinefish swallows water and blows up like a balloon.When a porcupinefish is scared, it puffs up to two or three times its normal size. It doesn’t get any longer, but it sure gets bigger around. Not only can its large size scare away an enemy, but its spines now stick straight out. Most enemies don’t dare touch the porcupinefish then. Once danger has passed, the fish shrinks to its normal size.

Gives off a type of mucus from their body which provides protection agianst parasites and infections.

Lives in the Neritic zone in the Pelagic environment, found near the oceans surface and middle depths

Sold in souvenir shops and eaten yet the species remains stable