Puffer Fish

Scientific name Arothron stellatus

The Starry puffer is a strange looking fish. Its body is oval in shape and fairly elongated. Rather than having scales as we usually see with fish, the Starry puffer has skin that is prickly to the touch. The head is large with a short snout with two pairs of nostrils. Its mouth has four large, incredibly strong teeth that often look more like a beak than actual teeth.

Starry puffers are found throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region. It’s a relatively uncommon species of fish that lives close to coral reefs and sheltered lagoons in proximity to sandy areas. Its ideal depth ranges from the surface down to about 50 meters.

Starry puffers are a diurnal species meaning they are awake during the day and they sleep at night. It is mainly solitary and adults will patrol and defend a territory. They are the largest species of pufferfish with some specimens growing to be up to 4 feet long!

To avoid being eaten by something, these fish have a few notable defences. Their ovaries, skin and livers contain a highly toxic poison, tetrodotoxin, to ward off potential predators. Starry puffers acquire this toxin through bacteria they eat that contains the toxin. They can also inflate their bodies by swallowing air or water, scaring the daylights out of anything that tries to take a bite out of it.

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