Triggerfishes Pufferfishes and Relatives: Tetraodontiformes

Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives live all over the world.

Most pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives live in the sea, but at least twenty species live in freshwater. Some of these fishes are bottom dwellers in deep and others in shallow water. Some of these fishes live in open water, and others enter estuaries (EHS-chew-air-eez), or the areas where rivers meet the sea. Some live on coral or rocky reefs. Most freshwater species are bottom dwellers.

Pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives eat plankton, algae, and invertebrates (in-VER-teh-brehts), or animals without backbones. Plankton is microscopic plants and animals drifting in water. Algae (AL-jee) are plantlike growths that live in water and have no true roots, stems, or leaves.

Many pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives are eaten by the people who live near where the fish live. Some of these fishes are caught for sport. Some are caught and sold for food but must be prepared very carefully because they are poisonous. Many species are collected for aquariums.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists three species of pufferfishes, triggerfishes, and their relatives as Vulnerable, or facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.