Dog-fish belongs to the order of puffer or pufferfish, and there are more than ninety species of them. It differs from other fish in its unique ability to swell when it is scared by swallowing a large volume of water or air. Then she pricks with thorns, injecting nerve poison, called tetrodotoxin, which is 1200 times more effective than potassium cyanide.
The dog-fish, due to the special structure of the teeth, was called a puffer. The puffer teeth are very strong, fused together, and look like four plates. With their help, she splits shells of mollusks and crab shells, extracting food. A rare case is known when a still living fish, not wanting to be eaten, bit off a finger to a cook.
Some species of fish are also able to bite, but the main danger is its meat.
In Japan, this exotic fish is called puffer, skillfully cooked it takes first place in the list of delicacies of local cuisine. The price per serving of such a dish reaches $ 750.
When an amateur chef takes charge of the preparation, the tasting is fatal, since the skin and internal organs of this fish contain a very strong poison. First, the tip of the tongue goes numb, then the limbs, followed by cramps and instant death. When gutted, the fish dog emits a foul odor.
The most common types of fish dogs include:
- White-mottled, living in the tropical Pacific Ocean and the waters of Indonesia.
- Maki-maki, preferring the tropical part of the Pacific and Indian oceans for life.
- Ringed, living in the tropical coastal waters of South and Central America, which are washed by the Pacific Ocean.
- Black-mottled, which is an inhabitant of the Indo-Pacific region from Polynesia to the shores of East Africa and the Red Sea.
The red-legged or ocular fish-dog has a thick elongated body, a thick-lipped mouth, back, lower part of the head and belly are covered with small spikes. There is one fin on the back, the ventral fins are absent, the pectoral fins are wide and small, and the caudal fin is truncated. Under the eyes are small tentacles with the organs of smell - nostrils. Like all pufferfish, iridescent pupils are movable, cast in green or blue. The teeth are interconnected and form a fused cutting insert.
The length of the dog-fish can reach up to 50 cm. The whole body is basically the same color with many small spots and a large dark spot with a light fringing behind the pectoral fin, which form a pattern that looks like an eye. The same spot is located at the base of the dorsal fin. Because of these spots, the fish was given the name "ocular", and due to the reddish fins it is called the red-legged.
Depending on the variety, the dog fish has a different color - from light sand to dark gray with spots throughout the body, leopard or lilac with bright yellow stripes.
The dog fish is inactive and moves with the help of the dorsal, pectoral and anal fins, which are located at the back, and the tail fin is usually used as a rudder. Special muscles allow her to swim not only forward, but also backward, which compensates for the low speed.
During courtship, the male and female whirl at the bottom, then the female lays eggs on the stone, and the male, fertilizing them, covers the masonry with his body and remains to guard his offspring. Within a few days, fry-like tadpoles appear. The male carries them into the groove made in the ground, continuing to guard them until they themselves begin to feed.
First, the offspring feeds on small ciliates, and then the diet becomes more diverse. Most species of these fish are omnivorous, although preference is given to animal food, mainly to invertebrate animals.