Balloonfish

       

      Diodon holocanthus, also known as the balloonfish, gets its name for its ability to protect itself by puffing up and raising its spines when it feels threatened. This adaptation is quite advantageous considering that balloonfish are relatively poor swimmers. They are able to inflate by drawing water or air into their bodies when they feel necessary to protect themselves around predators. Their predators include pelagic predatory fishes, tunas, dolphins, and sharks. Their diet consists of hermit crabs, sea urchins, and mollusks. Another cool thing about them is that they can also change colors when they get excited. They can be found in the waters of Florida, the Bahamas, and Brazil, as well as the eastern Atlantic Ocean and central Pacific Ocean. They dwell mostly in shallow reefs, mangroves, in seagrass beds, and in rocky substrates. The one that we found in the Keys was at Big Sponge swimming among sponges and seagrasses. It cowered away and hid when I approached it to take a picture. Balloonfish are often captured and sold to aquariums. They are also sometimes found in tourist shops, puffed up and preserved. They are not normally consumed by humans because of the toxins in their body. My favorite thing about them is that they're pretty adorable and because of their inability to swim fast, they are fun to play with in the water. 

Sources:

http://www.neaq.org/animals_and_exhibits/animals/balloonfish/

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/Descript/Balloon/Balloon.htm