Spotfin burrfish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotfin burrfish |
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The spotfin burrfish (Chilomycterus reticulatus) is a cool type of fish. It's also known as the spotted burrfish, Pacific burrfish, or spotfin porcupinefish. This fish belongs to the porcupinefish family, called Diodontidae.
What Does It Look Like?
The spotfin burrfish has a round body that can puff up like a balloon! It has a wide, flat head and big eyes. When they are grown up, their nose part looks like a small cup with holes. But when they are young, it's a tentacle with two openings.
Their teeth are joined together, forming a beak that looks like a parrot's beak. They have a big mouth and no front groove in their teeth. This fish does not have spines on its fins. It also doesn't have pelvic fins, which are usually found on the belly of fish.
The fin on its back, called the dorsal fin, has 12 to 14 rays. The fin on its underside, called the anal fin, has 11 to 14 rays. Its tail fin, the caudal fin, has 10 rays. The two large fins on its sides, the pectoral fins, have 19 to 22 rays.
Its body is covered in small, triangle-shaped spines. Some of these spines are hidden under its skin. There's a line of 8 to 10 spines running from its head to its dorsal fin. It also has one or two spines near its tail.
Adult spotfin burrfish are grey or brown. They have a black band under their chin and small black spots on their top parts and fins. Young burrfish that live in the open ocean are blue. They have dark spots on their upper bodies that reach down to their bellies. These fish can grow up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) long. Some have even been seen as long as 75 centimeters (about 30 inches)!
Where Do They Live?
The spotfin burrfish lives in warm parts of the ocean all around the world. You can find them in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. They also live in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea.
In the Atlantic Ocean, they can be found as far north as North Carolina in the west. In the east, they reach Portugal. They also live south in places like South Africa and Brazil. In the Indo-Pacific region, they go north to Japan and south to northern New Zealand. In the eastern Pacific, they are found from Chile up to California.
How Do They Live?
You can find spotfin burrfish near coral and rocky reefs. They usually live in water less than 25 meters (about 82 feet) deep. However, they have been found as deep as 140 meters (about 460 feet). Sometimes, they are even caught in fishing nets over sandy or muddy areas.
These fish mostly eat creatures with hard shells. This includes molluscs (like snails and clams), echinoderms (like sea urchins), and crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp).
Life Cycle
The eggs and tiny baby burrfish (larvae) float in the open ocean. Young burrfish are often found hiding among floating mats of seaweed. Once they grow to about 20 centimeters (about 8 inches), they start living on the ocean floor.
Adult burrfish are active during the day. At night, they rest by leaning against rocks or other things on the seabed. Sometimes, you might find them washed up on beaches.
