the ball-fish is given a home predominant in tropical waters with approximately 90 types. Most of the members of the family live in offshore Meeresgebiete while we find only few forms in the Brack and freshwater.
Characteristics The penetrated and roundish shape of a ball-fish deviates considerably from the commonly known fish-shape. Also head and eyes quite big are trained in the comparison to other fishings. We find a beak-similar Beißapparat, that is created through deformity of the teeth to tooth-strips, in the mouth. A left one and one argues two tooth-groins forms the "waiter-beak", two further ones the "sub-beak." The Beißapparat is therefore formed (Tetraodontidae = Vierzähner) by four tooth-strips altogether. This inclination to the amalgamation of the teeth is characteristic for all Kugelfishartigen. The leathery, very resistant skin is bare; its sheds are reduced on short thorns or granule-good rises.
Inflate With arousal, a ball-fish swells up its body spherical. This ability only occurs with this in the fish-area close to relatives hedgehog-fishings. A powerful musculature presses waters into a stomach-page, baggy expansion of the stomach from the mouth-cave sporadically. Strong ring-muscles at the transition to the stomach and at the stomach-entrance prevent the return-flow of the water, that almost stretches the bloated body-skin under remarkable pressure up to breaking. The inflated fish now sinks leisurely to the ground.
The question of sense and purpose of this exceptional behavior lets itself answer easily: By the sudden volume-enlargement, the devouring a ball-fish is done virtually impossible for a loot-greedy robber. In the taut-tense skin, the many follow, normally hid, short thorns even on, so that in the pharynx of a big fish this feed-ball not so properly wants to slide.
To the defense pustet the ball-fish the water intermittently again also from. In every case, the appetite for ball-fish is spoiled thoroughly for the robbery-fish. Occasionally, the fish puff up themselves also when impressing and with the Balzspiel in order to sit down as effectively as possible in scene.
Ball-fish-poison Ball-fish contain the high-poisonous Tetraodontoxin, that resembles a Steroidhormon in its chemical structure. Despite the as is known high virulence above all during the wintry spawn-time, ball-fish are regarded as delicacy in Japan. A ball-fish-court, the Fugu, that is prepared from several ball-fish, can be prepared only by specifically trained cooks, who did a diploma at a particular school. The fish must be gutted as fast as possible careful after the catch so that the poison, that is mainly enriched in the germ-glands and in the liver, cannot go over into the non-polluting muscle-meat. The Tetraodontoxin is not destroyed when cooking, like the Z. B. with the poison of the eels and the Muränen the case is. Despite these regulations, annually many people poison themselves partially mortally in Japan through the pleasure of improperly prepared ball-fish.
Swimming-manner Also in the swimming-manner, the ball-fish differ from most other fish. The flippers, that are moved like small propellers with high frequency, serve as drive-organs. The second back-fin (the first is reduced) and the anus-fin buzz to the support with.
The tail-stalk and the tail fluke, that procure the propulsion with most fish, serve only as rudders here. This way, a ball-fish admittedly is not fast, but extremely maneuverable. On closest area, it rotates, swims even backwards, climbs up and down, all this so skillfully, that it is called gladly also "helicopter-fish" by lovers. This mobility comes above all the reef-living in types zustatten very much in the spade-tangle of the coral-rocks.
Food With the powerful beak, ball-fish are arranged excellent on the crunching hard-shell food. they pound the tanks of cancers, crack mussels and snails and break pieces from coral-sticks in order to reach the tender coral-polyps. The denture is claimed strongly accordingly and grows back fast. Also other small Meeresgetier like sponges or worms is eaten beside it. The food hidden in the sand with water frequently becomes freigepustet, a behavior, that we Z. B. also from handle-fishings know.
Aquarienhaltung Many ball-fish are above all in the age rough and intolerable skilled workers unfortunately, who claim a solid precinct. they hurt Artgenossen and other fish with its sharp denture occasionally considerable. The temper of some types and individuals can be however quite different. There are also quite peaceful ball-fish. The claims to it is salt content of the water with the individual types according to origin very different. Here, one must inform about type exactly to type in the pertinent compartment-literature.
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