We found a small turtle resting in the sand, a beautiful scorpionfish, a balloonfish, and several eels. |
Also called balloonfish, spiny puffers belong to the Tetraodontiformes, an order of fishes known for their strange structures and odd behaviors. |
However, only trace amounts of tetrodotoxin have been found in balloonfish, mainly concentrated in the ovaries. |
Because the balloonfish lacks pleural ribs and a pelvic girdle, expansion is not as strictly inhibited as in most fish. |
The conch we saw is safe from the balloonfish because its shell is too thick for the balloonfish to break. |
The balloonfish is usually a shy little fellow, who retreats to a safe hole in the reef to peak out warily. |