Giant Puffer

• Coloration is cream to yellow with a pattern of darker brownish-black irregular shaped rings, spots and stripes. Belly is a lighter shade of yellow to white.
• The body is short, stout and has large round pectoral fins
• Small mouth with two sets of fused, beak-like teeth, one each on the upper and lower mandibles.
• Maximum length of 26.4 inches (67 cm).

• Diet consists of mollusks, insects, crustaceans and small fish.
• Consuming hard-shelled prey helps prevent tooth overgrowth.

• Inhabits large rivers and lakes of Africa and the Congo River Basin.
• Typically found swimming and feeding in shallow water or near the sedimentary bottom of rivers and lakes.

• Oviparous, or egg-laying species.

• “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.
• Populations in eastern Africa occur in a very limited range, making them more susceptible to threats from increased farming.

• Like all pufferfishes, this species may inflate itself with water or air when threatened or stressed.
• One of the few fish known to blink.
• May change coloration based on surroundings.

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www.iucnredlist.org
www.inaturalist.org
www.nationalgeographic.com
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