Globefish are often seen around Victoria especially around places like Rye and Frankston pier. They are often seen by local scuba divers and are very curious. They often hang out around pier pylons as they are quite poor swimmers. Photo: John Smith
Globefish have a defence mechanism that they use when they feel threatened which is when globefish puff up quickly inflating their body size which makes them look like a large, spikey ball. Photo: Paul Sorensen
Welcome to the Marine Mili series, a regular column about all things marine! During this series I aim to inspire people to want to protect our oceans and all the marine life that call our oceans home. Hopefully after reading each column, you would have learnt something new including what we can do to help protect and preserve our oceans. You can follow me and my journey on my Instagram page: _marine_mili.
This pretty, puffy little fish is commonly known as a pufferfish, but it is actually a Globefish.
Globefish are very common in Victoria especially around places like Rye and Frankston pier.
They are often seen by local scuba divers and are definitely a favourite of mine to dive with, as they are very curious and like coming to check us out.
They often hang out around pier pylons as they are quite poor swimmers.
Globefish are omnivores. This means their diet primarily consists of algae and small invertebrates however, their diet does vary depending on their environment.
As I said before, Globefish also are commonly known as pufferfish, and have a defence mechanism they use when they feel threatened.
They puff up quickly inflating their body size which makes them look like a large spikey ball. This can make them less appetising to predators and can scare them off.
So how do Globefish rapidly increase the size of their body whenever they feel like they are in danger?
Well, Globefish have extremely elastic stomachs that are lined with folded tissue which gives them the ability to puff up. When they feel like they are in danger they will suck in water or air and store it in their unique stomachs which makes them larger.
These intriguing fish also have spines all over their bodies which stick out when they are inflated; this also acts as a deterrent for predators.
Globefish are also poisonous and carry a toxin known as tetrodotoxin in their organs. This toxin is usually found on their skin, in their liver and in their ovaries.
Globefish are not safe to eat and are not caught by commercial or recreational fishers as they are a poisonous species.
There is no treatment for humans that ingest tetrodotoxin and this kind of toxin is also found in pufferfish, toadfish and other various species.
