Tetraodontidae

Tetraodontidae is a family of fish commonly called pufferfish. Its members have fused teeth forming beak-like plates, and many species inflate their bodies when threatened.

Tetraodontiformes: An order of mostly marine fishes that includes pufferfish, triggerfish, boxfish, and ocean sunfish. Tetraodontidae is one family within this order of specialized fishes.
Beak: A hard, projecting mouth structure used for feeding, formed from keratin or modified jaw tissues. Pufferfish tooth plates meet to form a beak-like cutting and crushing surface.
Fugu: A Japanese cuisine made from pufferfish, prepared by specially licensed chefs in Japan. Its preparation must account for tetrodotoxin in some tissues and species.
Arothron stellatus: A large Indo-Pacific pufferfish marked with dark spots and pale bands. It is among the largest living pufferfish and illustrates the family’s size range.
Diodontidae: A family of porcupinefishes with prominent external spines and strong jaws. Porcupinefishes are close relatives that also inflate, but retain distinct external spines.
Pufferfish: Fish known for inflating their bodies; most belong to the family Tetraodontidae. This common name covers the family’s best-known members.
Pharyngeal teeth: Teeth in the throat region of fishes that help grip or process food. They complement the fused jaw plates in processing prey.
Pufferfish poisoning: Illness caused by eating pufferfish tissue containing tetrodotoxin. The family’s toxin makes some species a serious food-safety hazard.
Takifugu rubripes: A pufferfish native to the northwestern Pacific, also known as the Japanese tiger puffer. This species is a major source of fugu in Japan.
Molidae: A family of ocean sunfishes with laterally compressed bodies and truncated tails. Ocean sunfishes share the broader order but lack the pufferfish body plan.

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