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Thread: The Puff of Puffer Fish...

  1. #1
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    Default The Puff of Puffer Fish...

    Dear Friends ,

    We were a group of Photo Enthusiasts , who went for a shoot at Haji Ali rocks on 21st Jan 2018, low tide morning. We reached the place at about 7:30 AM & looked out for some species of marine life to photograph.

    Towards the end of shoot , at around 10:00 AM, noticed that some teenagers (5-6 of them) were tossing around a brightly yellow colored fish & were very excited about it. Size of the fish would be about 4". When I reached them, realized that it was a Puffer Fish, which they got hold of , while thrown away by an angler. Somehow, I knew , these are poisonous fish & requested these guys to put it down. After they put it on the rocks , managed to click a few shots, showing characteristic puff & four teeth. After these shots , it was put in a little puddle of water , so that they get normal.

    In the meantime, angler caught another one & threw it back to us. The second one was immediately put in puddle of water to clam it down. Got some clicks of these beautiful creatures in the puddle . By this time , fellow photographers joined & clicked few more shots.

    Both these wonderful creatures were out back in sea by fellow photographers before returning.

    EXIF : Canon550D, Tamron 90mm VC, f/16, Tv:1/125, ISO :1250, Natural Light without Flash, 60% retained (40% Crop), PP in LR5.7

    Tried to collate some information of this fish as below ..

    Puffer fish Facts :

    Puffer fish is an easily recognized type of fish due to ability to transform and enlarge its body in a split of a second. There are more than 120 species of puffer fish which live mostly in the warm waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, with only 30 species that are living in the freshwater. Some species move from marine to brackish or fresh water during the breeding season. Although number of puffer fish is stable in the wild, they are vulnerable due to overfishing, pollution of the ocean and loss of natural habitats.

    Interesting Puffer fish Facts:

    1. Puffer fish vary in size from one inch long pygmy puffer, to a two feet long freshwater giant puffer.
    2. Main feature, common for all puffer fish, is ability to ingest huge amount of water (and air sometimes) which increases their body size and turn them into odd-looking ball-like creatures. Quick transformation scares predators.
    3. Scientists believe that puffer fish developed this tactic as a method of the self-defense because they are poor swimmers that cannot escape from the danger quickly.
    4. Increase of the body size is not the only tactic used against the predators. Almost all species of puffer fish contain toxin (called tetrodotoxin) that can be 1200 times stronger than cyanide.
    5. One puffer fish contains enough toxin to kill 30 adult men.
    6. Toxin is not located in all parts of the puffer fish, and certain cultures prepare puffer fish (meal called fugu in Japan) as a delicacy. Only specially trained chiefs can clean the fish properly and prepare delicious and toxin-free meal. Just one wrong cut of the fish meat can result in the death of the customer.
    7. Sharks are the only species immune to the puffer fish's toxin. They can eat puffer fish without any negative consequences.
    8. Puffer fish can be discretely or brightly colored. There is often relationship between the body coloration and the amount of toxin produced by the fish (brighter colors are often associated with large quantity of toxin in the fish).
    9. Puffer fish do not have scales. Their skin is thick and rough. Some species have spines on the skin, which offer additional protection against the predators.
    10. The most elastic part of their body is skin on the stomach area. When puffer fish ingests water, skin on the stomach expands several times of the normal size of the fish.
    11. Puffer fish have four teeth that are fused in the beak-like structure. They use their teeth for opening of mussels, clams and shellfish. Puffer fish also eat algae and different types of worms and crustaceans.
    12. Puffer fish have excellent eyesight.
    13. Puffer fish reach sexual maturity at the age of five. Male guides the female to the shallow water (close to the shore) where she will release (usually) between three to seven eggs. Young fish are protected by the hard egg shell that will crack as soon as they are ready to hatch. After leaving the egg, young puffer fish swim toward the reef's community.
    14. Although some baby puffer fish cannot be seen without magnifying glass, their body shape resembles those of the adult animals.
    15. Average lifespan of the puffer fish is around 10 years.

    Hope you like & enjoy it.

    Regards/ Anil Kumar Verma
    Attached Images Attached Images  

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    Amazing colours and details. The puff and the teeth are well documented. The detailed information/facts helps to know more about this species. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to more.

  3. #3
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    Lovely catch. Good to see this species about which we had read so much. It is said that many people while eating puffer fish breathe their last. It is tough even for expert chefs to prepare it properly. I am wondering if anyone dies in India after eating this fish unknowingly. What did the fishermen say about this fish? Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers,
    Sabyasachi

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    Great Information Shared! Didn't really knew about it before. Also the image looks very sharp and astonishing.

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    Amazing info Anil ! Thanks for sharing.

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    Amazing info and amazing shot. Thanks for sharing.

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    This is a real good picture of the puffer, Vermaji. The facts that you have shared is informative and can bring more awareness about this wonderful sea creature. The beauty of sea life is that the more colorful a species is the more toxic it is. Puffers are quite common in the warmer waters of Asia and can be seen in many a snorkeling/diving sessions. I was lucky to spot one a few months back, in the south china sea (Tioman Islands) while snorkeling but could not get a good shot, the puffing was also not very profound as it didn't seem to be greatly alarmed by us. Your picture has really helped read the details of the fish clearly. Thanks for sharing.

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