Stats

Lifespan

8-15 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Coral reef

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Toxins

Status

Common

About

A family of fish famous for inflating into a spiny ball when threatened; many species carry tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin over a thousand times deadlier than cyanide.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling fry

   A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Tetraodontiformes

Family

Tetraodontidae