Love On The Seafloor: The Instinctive Architecture of the Pufferfish

White-spotted pufferfish live in coastal reefs, lakes, and estuaries, although the young ones prefer more shallow waters with sea grass. Their diet includes anemones, sponges, algae, coral, sea stars, and mollusks. Although their mating habits are fascinating, pufferfish are most famous for their unique defense system. Pufferfish skin, gonads, and viscera contain a toxin produced by bacteria found in their food. This toxin, called tetrodotoxin, is dangerous and potentially fatal for humans. This poison is even more lethal if it's injected while the fish is "puffed out". This defense mechanism is how pufferfish get their quirky name. To do this, they swallow water to inflate themselves. Their stomach and skin stretch until they look larger, more intimidating, and much harder for a predator to consume.