Stellate pufferfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stellate pufferfish |
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The stellate puffer (scientific name: Arothron stellatus) is a cool fish that lives in the ocean. It's also called the starry puffer or starry toadfish. This fish belongs to the pufferfish family, known as Tetraodontidae. You can find it in shallow waters across the Indo-Pacific region.
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About the Stellate Puffer
The stellate puffer is a medium-sized fish. It can grow up to 120 centimeters (about 47 inches) long. Its body is shaped like an oval, a bit round and long. Instead of scales, its skin feels prickly.
This fish does not have pelvic fins or a lateral line. Its dorsal fin (on its back) and anal fin (on its belly) are small. They are also symmetrical and found at the back of its body. The pufferfish has a large head with a short snout. It has two pairs of nostrils and a mouth with four strong teeth.
Stellate Puffer Colors
The stellate puffer's body is usually white or gray. It has many black spots all over. Its belly area is often lighter in color.
The size of the spots changes as the fish grows. Young pufferfish have large spots. Very big adults have much smaller spots. Young fish, called juveniles, have a yellowish body with dark stripes. As they get a bit older, they might still have stripes on their belly. These stripes will later turn into spots. They might also keep some yellow color on their body.
Where Stellate Puffers Live
This fish lives in warm, tropical, and subtropical waters. You can find it from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea all the way to Polynesia. It also lives near southern Japan and the coasts of Australia.
The stellate puffer is not super common. It likes to live near the edges of coral reefs. It also enjoys calm lagoons with clear water. Mostly, you will find it near sandy areas. They live from the water's surface down to about 58 meters (about 190 feet) deep.
What Stellate Puffers Eat
The stellate puffer eats different things found on the ocean floor. It enjoys invertebrates (animals without backbones), sponges, and algae. It also eats the polyps of corals, like Acropora. Crabs and snails are also part of its diet.
This pufferfish is active during the day, which means it is diurnal. It usually lives alone and protects its own space, or territory.
Stellate Puffer Safety
The stellate puffer contains a very strong poison called tetrodotoxin. This poison is mostly in its ovaries, and also in its skin and liver. This toxin helps protect the fish from animals that want to eat it. The pufferfish becomes poisonous by eating bacteria that contain this toxin.
To scare away enemies, stellate puffers can inflate their bodies. They do this by swallowing air or water. This makes them look much bigger and harder to eat!
See also
In Spanish: Arothron stellatus para niños
