Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae)

ocean · fish · amazing defense

Built-in balloon. Pufferfish can gulp water to swell up into a round ball, making them too big and tricky for predators to swallow.

Four teeth. Their family name comes from Greek words for 'four' and 'tooth', they have four teeth fused into a beak-like mouth.

Salt and fresh. Puffers live in both ocean saltwater and freshwater, and go by tons of nicknames like blowfish, globefish, and sea squab.

Spiny cousins. They look a lot like porcupinefish, their close relatives, which are covered in big spines.