How does a porcupinefish inflate itself?

It gulps water (or air, out of water) into its stomach, which causes its body to balloon outward and its spines to stand erect.

What does the porcupinefish eat?

It preys on hard-shelled bottom-dwelling animals such as mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and crabs, crushing them with its beak-like fused teeth.

How many spines does a porcupinefish have?

A survey of roughly a thousand individuals found an average of 369 spines per fish.

Porcupinefishハリセンボン

Diodon holocanthusLC— Least Concern

The long-spine porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus), known in Japan as harisenbon, is a reef fish found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, reaching about 40-50 cm long. When threatened, it gulps water to inflate its body, causing its normally flattened spines to stand erect and deter predators. It hunts hard-shelled prey such as mollusks, sea urchins, and crabs at night, crushing them with fused, beak-like teeth, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Porcupinefish (reference photo) — Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification: Tetraodontiformes / Diodontidae Source
Size: Total length about 40–50 cm
Diet: Carnivore Carnivorous, crushing benthic animals such as mollusks, crustaceans, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and crabs with its sturdy teeth
Activity: Nocturnal
Distribution: Circumtropical, occurring across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, from Florida and the Bahamas to Brazil in the western Atlantic and across tropical regions worldwide. Source
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Did You Know?

When threatened, it gulps water or air to inflate its body; its normally flattened spines then stand erect, both deterring predators and making it look larger. Source
A survey of about a thousand individuals found an average of 369 spines per fish. Source
Spawning occurs at the surface at dawn or dusk, either in pairs or in groups of several males with a single female. Source

Where to See This Species

Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 4

OkuhidakumabokujouGifu2535 Hitoegane, Okuhida Onsengo, Takayama, Gifu.

Source

Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsakaOpened in 1990

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Kyoto AquariumKyotoAbout a 15-minute walk from the central exit of JR Kyoto Station.

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Nagasakipengin SuizokukanNagasakiOpened in 2001

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Conservation Story

Conservation Status

Least Concern (LC)

Sources

ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

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FAQ

How does a porcupinefish inflate itself?: It gulps water (or air, out of water) into its stomach, which causes its body to balloon outward and its spines to stand erect. Source
What does the porcupinefish eat?: It preys on hard-shelled bottom-dwelling animals such as mollusks, sea urchins, hermit crabs, and crabs, crushing them with its beak-like fused teeth. Source
How many spines does a porcupinefish have?: A survey of roughly a thousand individuals found an average of 369 spines per fish. Source
How many operating facilities are registered here?: Operating facilities registered on this site: Japan 4 Source

Books & gear

Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org