Pufferfishes and their relatives are some of the most diverse fishes in terms of their anatomy and natural history. They primarily live in marine habitats from coasts and reefs to open pelagic waters and deep ocean, but some pufferfishes live in freshwater rivers in Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Pufferfishes and their relatives belong to the order Tetraodontiformes that contains 447 species in ten families. Pufferfishes are well known for their ability to inflate their bodies in the face of danger, but when it comes to the pufferfish family this is just one of many fascinating traits in a truly diverse group of fishes.
