Organism name: Porcupine fish
a porcupine fish
a porcupine fish

Scientific name: Diodon hystrix

Size (length and weight)

Length is up to 35in (90cm) Weight is up to 6 1/2 lb (3kg).

Physical description:
It is well rounded, looks like a puffer fish, but is not.When a porcupine fish has a preditor near it makes its body look scare it has the spikes lie down on flat on the body, when a predators are near the porcupine fish suck up water into their mouth and poisonous spikes come out to scare their predators away.
Porcupine Fish    www.itsnature.org
Porcupine Fish www.itsnature.org


Location in the world:
where would this organism be found?

Diet:
Eats with their strong teeth. Photosynthesis?Does not eat plants.It eats slugs, snails,crab, shrimp, frozen blood worm, and a few black worms. Plankton?)

Predators
sometimes sharks,whales, and orcas
A porcupine fish   www.ri.net
A porcupine fish www.ri.net


Young

Old porcupine fish make babies 1-2 at a time and new porcupine make 1 at a time usually.The porcupine fish does not look that much different when it is older. The only thing that will change will be its size.
Do they have a larval stage?)

Niche or role in their ecosystem
(what roles does this organism play in its ecosystem? Why is it important?

Other names

Porcupinefish, ajargo, hedgehog, hedgehog fish, porcupine fish, sharptail mola, spot-fin porcupinefish, spotted porcupine, spotted porcupine fish, spotted porcupinefish, adjidjan, baiacu-de-espinho, bankocho, batana, batea, bunju miiba, buntal landak, buntel duren, buteteng laot, crum, diodon jezyk, dot, guanabana, katu peyttheya, kumme, kuuxiny, mullu peytthai, nezumifugu, peixe lua, penvis, peste arici, pez eriso, pez erizo del punteado, porco-esphinho, porkspim, puerco espin, sokisoki, tagotongan, taius-wushuga, tamborillo, tauta, tautu, totara, and uruhakau. (are quite often more commonly called the pufferfish, or the blow fish.)


Websites to check out

(name of entire website) itsnature
(web address) http://www.itsnature.org/sea/fish/porcupine-fish/#ixzz0hseb8TyO
(copy update) 2007-2010
(day I saw web site) 3-12-10


(name of entire site) Wikipedia
(web address) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupinefish
(last updated) February 27,2010
(date I saw web site) 3-12-10


(Author) Carolyn Hachquet
(name of entire site) essortment
(web address) http://www.essortment.com/all/porcupinefish_rbgh.htm
(copyright) 2002




Questions I want to know about my ocean organism
  1. Why is it called the porcupine fish?
  2. When the porcupine fish has babbies does the babbies first have their spikes right away?
  3. How long can the spikes stay up?
  4. About how many spikes does a porcupine fish have?
  5. When does the porcupine fish put its spikes once a preditor leave?

porcupinefish www.itsnature.org
porcupinefish www.itsnature.org