The northern puffer, ''Sphoeroides maculatus'', is a species in the family
Tetraodontidae
Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...
, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America.
Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous, although its
viscera
In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...
can contain poison,
[ and high concentrations of toxins have been observed in the skin of Floridian populations.]Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
region, where they are eaten as a delicacy.[ In much of the Northeast, the fish is known simply as "blowfish" or "chicken of the sea".]
Description
The northern puffer has the shape of a club.[ Adults have small spines covering the entire body with a tiny beak-like mouth. It is characterized by vertical stripes with a gray to brown dorsal surface and a yellow to white belly.][ It has tiny jet-black pepper spots (about 1 mm in diameter) scattered over most of pigmented surface, particularly evident on cheeks. Lower sides of the body have a row of black, elongate, bar-like markings. A small dorsal fin is set far back near the tail. ''Sphoeroides maculatus'', like others in the puffer family, "puffs up" into a ball in self-defense by inhaling water into a special chamber near its stomach. They will puff up with air if taken out of the water. The northern puffer reaches up to in length, but is usually around .][
]
Habitat
The northern puffer inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters at depths of in the northwest Atlantic.[ It ranges from ]Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
(U.S.) to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
(Canada).[
]
Diet
The northern puffer feeds primarily on shellfish
Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing Aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrates used as Human food, food, including various species of Mollusca, molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish ...
, and occasionally on finfish. Using its beak-like mouth it can extract shellfish from their shells and sometimes break the shells to obtain a meal
A meal is an occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The English names used for specific meals vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. A meal is different from a ...
. They will attack blue crabs, blowing water underneath to turn the crab over, then attack the underside before it can right itself.
Life cycle
Northern puffers spawn from May through August in shallow water over sandy or muddy bottoms. The adhesive eggs are defended by the male until they hatch.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Puffer
Tetraodontidae
Fish described in 1801