Fact Friday
Animals have different defense mechanisms to help protect themselves from predators. The balloonfish is no exception. When an enemy attacks, this fish responds by puffing itself out and filling its stomach with air or water. The balloonfish expands its body to look larger in order to intimidate predators. In addition to their puffed-up status, their body is also covered in spines that make them look quite menacing.
Photo Credit: Andrew Bruckner
May 31, 2024
Cornetfish
Cornetfish are long and skinny. At the end of a long snout, taking up about a quarter of their body, is a mouth with tiny teeth. Their mouths expand, so they can suck up fish the same size as themselves, while the long skinny shape is useful for sticking into sand and between coral branches. They are voracious predators and their body shape may also help them hide from their prey.
