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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for June 8, 1999
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What kind of fish can expand into a hard sphere?
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A pufferfish responds to stress by gulping a huge amount of water,
expanding itself in a few seconds into a hard ball three times as
large as the resting fish. Some species have sharp spines that pop
out straight when the fish puffs up, making them particularly nasty if
eaten by a predator.
When it puffs up, a pufferfish's stomach expands to 100 times its
normal volume. Its abdominal cavity is lined with folded, pleated
tissue, and some of its ribs are missing, making it easier to inflate.
Its skin is threaded with thousands of fibers that snap tight when it
is fully inflated.
Pufferfish are relatives of sunfish and triggerfish. They are awkward
looking fish, with a boxy shape, and they do not swim very well. They
rely on their unusual defense (and recognition by predators) to
protect them.
More about pufferfish:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~akom/puffer.html
http://www.mote.org/~mkmetz/puffer.htm
http://www.uwphoto.net/puffer.html
Scientific research about pufferfish:
http://fugu.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk/fugu/pffp/pf.html
More Cool Facts about fish:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/09/22.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/09/23.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1997/12/02.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/06/17.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/11/04.html
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