Zhendi Encyclopedia 024 - Stinging Pufferfish
With a cute face, how can you get angry and immediately transform into a small hedgehog under the sea?
Basic information
Appearance characteristics
The ancient Chinese book title "Fish Tiger". The body is short and round, and the back of the head and body is quite wide and rounded. The tail is short and conical. The scales have become coarse spines, with 2 to 3 spines under the spines, the spines are very long or stubby, and there are no spines at the end of the tail and the posterior part of the tail stalk. There are swim bladders and air bags.
Usually, the hard thorns on the stingray body are flat on its body, which does not look much different from other fish; but when it encounters the enemy, it immediately swallows the seawater in a big mouth, the strong water pressure makes the whole body swell 2 to 3 times, and the fallen hard thorns are also erected, forming a large thorn ball, so that the enemy cannot bite.
Habits of life
It is a demersal fish that lives near tropical seaweeds and coral reefs. Carnivorous, feeding on hard corals, shellfish, shrimp, crabs, etc. It is widely distributed in the warm water sea area of the three oceans, and is distributed in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea; and the Atlantic Ocean, indian ocean and Pacific Ocean.
Cute and small, it rises to inflate 3 times
Although it is a fish, it is not good at swimming at all, swimming very slowly, unlike other fish that wear protective coats to avoid predators, the appearance of the stingray is eye-catching, and it can not be eaten by the fire.
Whenever frightened and stimulated, the stinging puffer will quickly swallow seawater and air while closing its gill cracks tightly, turning from the inside into a vacuum ball. The huge pressure in the body will cause the stingray to instantly expand to 2-3 times its original size, and with their spikes, predators are naturally intimidated.
Gathering crowds to fight, it is a small bully under the sea
Don't look at the stingray is not big, but it is fierce and loves to "hug the group". When faced with a large group of predators, the stingrays will assemble into a "ball array" and transform into a small hedgehog array. The bold enemy, seeing this situation, had already fled into the wilderness. According to scientists, the predators of the stingray are strictly only sharks and electric eels.
Shark mouth is large, bite force is strong, and the size of the stinging puffer is very different, even if the big thorn ball is swallowed in one bite, it is not afraid to scratch the mouth, giving itself a result of indigestion. Electric eels are coronaed with spiny puffers first, and then slowly and methodically carry out the later work. Other carnivorous fish, seeing stingrays is mostly not beneficial.
The bite force is amazing, and it has a pair of large plate teeth
The stingray has big eyes and a mouth with an amazing bite force. Its upper and lower teeth have no gaps in the teeth and look like large human teeth from a distance. But the bite force of these two large teeth is quite strong, and it can easily crush the food shell. Shellfish can only be caught when they encounter it, and obediently eat their share.
In addition to shellfish, crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs are also favorites of stingrays. One bite is effortless to eat, and it will even go to nibble on coral to change its taste. It really verifies the advertising slogan "Good appetite for teeth, eat well"
Toxin protectors can not escape fate, it is a delicacy on earth
Many stingrays themselves are poisonous, and their blood, internal organs and reproductive glands are enough to kill predators in an instant. But for humans, it is a rare source of food and crafts. The economic value of this fish is not high, but its cute appearance and cute habits make it the darling of many aquarium enthusiasts.
Others inflate and dry the pufferfish to keep it "exploding" and sell it as an ornament. For example, people in coastal areas will peel off the skin of the stingray and dry it in the soup, which is rich in collagen, also known as "prickly chicken skin".
【Photography Appreciation】
epilogue
The little bully in the ocean, when facing humans, can only be slaughtered. Stingrays are delicious, but in moderation. Because of a momentary appetite, and let a marine animal go extinct, that is the shame and sorrow of mankind. Or let it continue to run rampant in the ocean, and be a slow and fearless grumpy little bully.