Northern Puffer
Sphoeroides maculatus

The northern puffer is a club-shaped fish that puffs up into a ball in self-defense. It visits the deep flats of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn.

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The northern puffer is a club-shaped fish with a yellow, brown or olive body. (Virginia Institute of Marine Science)

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Appearance

The northern puffer usually grows 8 to 10 inches in length. Its yellow, brown or olive body is covered in small prickles. It has a yellow or white belly and a tiny, beak-like mouth. Dark, vertical, splotchy bars appear on its sides and small, black spots appear on its back, sides and cheeks. Its small dorsal fin is set far back, near its tail.

Feeding

Northern puffers uses their strong, beak-like mouths to crush the shells of small mollusks, crustaceans and other invertebrates.

Predators

The puffer's ability to puff up into a prickly ball deters many predators.

Reproduction and life cycle

Spawning occurs from May-August in shallow waters near the shore. The female lays sticky eggs that attach to the bottom and the male guards the eggs until they hatch. Little else is known about the northern puffer's life cycle.

Did you know?

  • Puffers puff up by inhaling air or water into a special chamber near the stomach. If caught and thrown back into the water while inflated, a northern puffer will float upside down at the surface for a few moments, then quickly deflate and swim away.
  • Although some types of puffers are poisonous, the northern puffer is not. Many people enjoy eating northern puffer, which is sold in fish markets as "sea squab."
  • The northern puffer is not an efficient swimmer; it swims by moving its tail fin back and forth like a paddle to propel itself forward.

Sources and additional information

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