Where Do Puffer Fish Live?

Many of you guys wonder- what is a pufferfish? Well, let’s start this informative article with a fact about pufferfish!

Whenever we mention pufferfish, everyone assumes fluffy animals at the back of their mind. Well, that is not the case, always. In fact, these animals inflate into the shape of a ball so that they are able to evade any predators.

This mechanism about them blowing up to proportions larger than their size is actually them filling their stomachs up with water.

Since they have been quite the matter of interest for a while, people often think- where do puffer fish live?

Pufferfish live in waters that are warm. So, you won’t find pufferfish that deep in the ocean. Usually, they will be found in different tropical oceans. And, when it comes to the preference of pufferfish, they usually like to live around the coral reefs.

That was just the start! Obviously, we won’t leave you hanging here. Even though we have given a brief introduction to where pufferfishes live, there is still more.

And, we have broken down our facts and pieces of information into different segments. So, you do not want to miss out on that.

That said, let’s just get through the next sections-

Where Does a Puffer Fish Live?

The thing about pufferfish is that they do not just live their best lives in every type of aquatic environment. Yes, you heard me right!

Pufferfish specifically need an aquatic environment in tropical regions. This is because puffer fish need warm water in order to thrive properly. So, they won’t live well in almost all kinds of environments.

Is Pufferfish a Marine Water Fish or Freshwater Fish?

When it comes to the majority, most of the pufferfish is a marine water fish. And do puffer fish need saltwater?

Yes, pufferfish do need salt water. Besides, can you keep puffer fish as pets in aquariums?

Yes, you can keep them in an aquarium. But you need to make arrangements according to their species.

So, if you are thinking of keeping a puffer fish as a pet, you will have to get a saltwater aquarium.

Also, pufferfish like to live around coral reefs and in warm environments. Here, the puffer fish live in both marine water and freshwater.

But, the thing is different species live differently. Question is- how many species of pufferfish are there?

So, out of the 120 species, most of the pufferfish species are marine water fish.

But, there is another side of the coin in here as well.

Because around 40 kinds of pufferfish live around brackish water. Now, you might wonder- what is brackish water?

Well, brackish water is a mix of freshwater and saltwater. So, a lot of species of pufferfish live in these waters as well besides marine waters.

Lastly, around 29 species of pufferfish live in freshwater. These types are the ones who are taken as pets by most humans. Because they have a higher chance of surviving in aquariums in a human household.

What are the Predators of Pufferfish?

Many people want to know about the predators and prey of pufferfish. Honestly, pufferfish are great hunters. And, with their poison and toxin, they can basically hunt other animals.

But, the truth is, pufferfish have predators. Here, we are going to talk about what animals hunt pufferfish. Let’s begin-

Sharks

Pufferfish have poisonous spikes. And, these fishes are predators by birth. This means they will use toxins and poisons to deal with other animals.

For this reason, not many animals come close to pufferfish. Also, they fill their stomachs with water so that they can easily evade other predators.

That is why only sharks go around hunting pufferfish. But, it is not like pufferfish is the favourite food of sharks.

That said, if a pufferfish comes in the way of sharks, then the sharks will hunt them down. As far as the poison goes, well, sharks will not mind and care about the poison secretion of the pufferfish.

Human

Humans are another large predator of the pufferfish besides sharks. Similar to the sharks, even humans hunt down pufferfish for consumption purposes.

In fact, humans love to eat saltwater pufferfish. Here, the pufferfish is hunted and taken as a delicacy in many parts of the world.

But, since they have poison and toxins, not every chef can cook them properly. So, only experienced chefs can cook them.

As far as freshwater pufferfish go, well, they have a huge demand as pets. So, most of these fishes are caught and sold off. Note, they are easy to be maintained as pets too compared to saltwater pufferfish.

Now that we know what predators these fishes have, you might ask how they defend themselves from predators.

Well, pufferfish has a famous technique known as “puffing”. Through this technique, pufferfish can attack other animals with their “beak-like” teeth.

Also, pufferfish have toxins and poison which they can easily secret to the animals. This is a great defence mechanism. These animals survive well even though they are puffy and small.

Parting Words

That was all the discussion, in our hands. Now, it is time to pull the curtains on this topic. The next time someone asks you- where do pufferfish live? You will easily answer with everything that you have learned from this article.

Just one thing, we like to share with you before leaving. That is, pufferfish live around both marine water and freshwater. But, all of the species prefer warm water. And, tropical conditions are the best environment for these fishes to survive properly.

So, the next time you are trying to keep some of these animals as pets, you need to be really careful about picking the right species.

If possible, you should leave these species alone. Because a lot of them are now becoming endangered due to overfishing. Good luck!