Triggerfishes Pufferfishes and Relatives: Tetraodontiformes

Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives have teeth that are fused together. If present, the pelvic fins, the pair that corresponds to the rear legs of four-footed animals, are only spines on the belly. Other than that, these fishes are amazingly different from one another. The body shape ranges from long and thick to tall and narrow. The colors range from bright to dull and from solid to wild patterns. Some of these fishes have rounded foreheads and beaks, and others have a tubelike snout. Some of these fishes have body armor, some have spines covering their bodies, some produce poison, and some can blow themselves up like a balloon.