Least puffer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Least puffer
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Family:	Tetraodontidae
Genus:	Sphoeroides
Species:	S. parvus
Binomial name
Sphoeroides parvus Shipp & Yerger, 1969
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The Least Puffer (Sphoeroides parvus) is a small fish that belongs to the Tetraodontidae family, also known as pufferfishes. This little fish is very common in the bays and shallow waters near the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. You can also find it as far east as Apalachicola Bay and south to Yucatán. Adult least puffers are quite small, usually less than four inches (100 mm) long.

What Makes the Least Puffer Special?

Least puffers are part of the Tetraodontidae family. This means their teeth are fused together, forming a beak-like mouth with two plates on both their upper and lower jaws. Pufferfishes also don't have fin spines or ribs. Their skin is tough and often covered with tiny, spiky scales.

Appearance of the Least Puffer

Least puffers usually have 8 to 9 rays in their dorsal fins (the fin on their back) and 13 to 16 rays in their pectoral fins (the fins on their sides). Their tail fin can be dark or plain, and they don't have pelvic fins at all.

Their back is a brownish-gray color, while their belly is white. There's a line of black blotches along their sides, which separates the dark top from the white bottom. These blotches can be different sizes and shapes. Their bodies also have light and dark spots on their sides and back. The least puffer has a long, round body, and its sides often have a golden shine.

How They Protect Themselves

When a least puffer feels scared or bothered, it can puff up its body with water. This makes it look much bigger and harder for predators to eat. It's the smallest known species in its group, Sphoeroides. It looks a lot like the Southern Puffer and the Northern Puffer, which live in some of the same areas.

Where Do Least Puffers Live?

You can find the Sphoeroides parvus all along the Gulf of Mexico, from Apalachicola Bay westward. It's the most common type of pufferfish in the muddy waters of places like Mobile Bay. However, in the clearer waters of northwestern Florida, another puffer species, S. nephelus, becomes more common.

Pufferfish Family History

The least puffer is very similar in looks to the S. maculatus (Northern Puffer), which lives in the Atlantic Ocean from Canada down to northeastern Florida. Scientists believe that long ago, before the Florida peninsula existed, the ancestors of both the least puffer and the Northern Puffer lived along the southern coast of the United States. When Florida formed, it split these fish populations into two groups: one in the Atlantic and one in the Gulf of Mexico.

Least puffers can live in very shallow waters, but they have also been found in deeper areas, up to 50 meters (about 164 feet) deep.

Least Puffer's Home and Safety

The S. parvus is generally found in large numbers in coastal waters, bays, and estuaries. They prefer areas with sandy or muddy bottoms. Because of this, they are often caught by accident in fishing nets used for shrimp trawling near the shore.

However, people don't fish for least puffers on purpose, and they aren't used for anything special. Their habitats also overlap with several protected marine areas. For these reasons, the Sphoeroides parvus is listed as a Least Concern species, meaning it's not currently at risk of disappearing.

See also

• Tetraodontidae
• Sphoeroides
• Sphoeroides nephelus
• Sphoeroides maculatus