Northern puffer

Northern puffer
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Tetraodontiformes
Family:	Tetraodontidae
Genus:	Sphoeroides
Species:	S. maculatus
Binomial name
Sphoeroides maculatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The northern puffer, Sphoeroides maculatus, is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes, found along the Atlantic coast of North America.^[2] Unlike many other pufferfish species, the flesh of the northern puffer is not poisonous, although its viscera can contain poison,^[1][2] and high concentrations of toxins have been observed in the skin of Floridian populations.^[3]: 30 They are commonly called sugar toads in the Chesapeake Bay region, where they are eaten as a delicacy.^{[4][failed verification]} There was widespread consumption of northern puffers during the rationing that accompanied the Second World War, establishing a commercial fishery that reached its zenith in the 1960s.^{[1][3]: 36–39} In much of the Northeast, the fish is known simply as "blowfish" or "chicken of the sea".^[5] They may also be sold as "sea squab".^[1][6]

The northern puffer has the shape of a club.^[6] Adults have small spines covering the entire body with a tiny beak-like mouth. It is characterized by vertical stripes with a gray to brown dorsal surface and a yellow to white belly.^[6] It has tiny jet-black pepper spots (about 1 mm in diameter) scattered over most of pigmented surface, particularly evident on cheeks. Lower sides of the body have a row of black, elongate, bar-like markings. A small dorsal fin is set far back near the tail. Sphoeroides maculatus, like others in the puffer family, "puffs up" into a ball in self-defense by inhaling water into a special chamber near its stomach. They will puff up with air if taken out of the water. The northern puffer reaches up to 36 cm (1 ft 2 in) in length, but is usually around 20 cm (8 in).^[2]

The northern puffer inhabits bays, estuaries and protected coastal waters at depths of 10–183 m (33–600 ft) in the northwest Atlantic.^[2] It ranges from Florida (U.S.) to Newfoundland (Canada).^[2]

The northern puffer feeds primarily on shellfish, and occasionally on finfish. Using its beak-like mouth it can extract shellfish from their shells and sometimes break the shells to obtain a meal. They will attack blue crabs, blowing water underneath to turn the crab over, then attack the underside before it can right itself.^{[citation needed]}

Northern puffers spawn from May through August in shallow water over sandy or muddy bottoms. The adhesive eggs are defended by the male until they hatch.^[6]

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