Pufferfishes Aren’t Holding Their Breath When They’re Inflated

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Philip Mercurio / www.phil-mercurio.com

A pufferfish on the defensive will rapidly gulp water into its stomach and inflate to Stay Puft proportions. This stretches their exceptionally elastic skin and causes their small spikes to stand on end. The spiny ball that results can be up to four times its normal size, and the trick is to stay inflated for longer than the would-be predator’s attention span.