Manila pufferfish (Arothron manilensis) with cleaner shrimps. This is a symbiotic relationship; the shrimps remove parasites from the fish, which they

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Manila pufferfish (Arothron manilensis) with cleaner shrimps. This is a symbiotic relationship; the shrimps remove parasites from the fish, which they then eat. When threatened, pufferfish gulp down water. This causes them to swell to up to twice their normal body size. It is a solitary animal found in the tropical Indo-West Pacific. It feeds on corals, sponges and crustaceans, crushing and grinding them with its powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Pufferfish are a delicacy in Japan, where they are eaten as sushi. However, they contain a powerful toxin, tetrodotoxin, that is fatal to humans, and so need to be prepared with care. Photographed in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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Size: 5120px × 3401px
Photo credit: © GEORGETTE DOUWMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, aquatic, arothron, biological, biology, blowfish, carnivore, carnivorous, cleaner, cleaning, edible, fauna, fish, food, indonesia, lembeh, manila, manilensis, marine, nature, north, poison, poisonous, puffer, seabed, shrimp, shrimps, solitary, strait, sulawesi, symbiont, symbionts, symbiosis, symbiotic, tetrodotoxin, toxic, ttx, underwater, wildlife, zoological, zoology