Head to head
Figure-8 Puffer vs Pufferfish
The figure-8 puffer and the (tiger) pufferfish share the same inflating defence and family tree, but they occupy very different habitats and carry very different risks, one living in brackish estuaries, the other a fully marine species served as a dangerous delicacy in Japan.
| Figure-8 Puffer | Pufferfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Dichotomyctere ocellatus | Takifugu rubripes |
| Size | Small | Up to about 80 cm |
| Habitat | Brackish estuaries and coastal waters | Marine coastal waters |
| Toxicity | Not notably toxic | Tetrodotoxin, extremely deadly, no antidote |
| Culinary use | Not eaten | Eaten as the delicacy fugu in Japan |
| Inflation defence | Yes | Yes |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated | Near Threatened |
Figure-8 Puffer vs Pufferfish: common questions
Which puffer is more dangerous to eat, the figure-8 puffer or the pufferfish?
The tiger pufferfish, whose tissues contain tetrodotoxin, an extremely potent nerve poison with no antidote, famously prepared as the delicacy fugu only by specially licensed chefs; the figure-8 puffer is not a food fish.
Which of these two puffers needs brackish water?
The figure-8 puffer, which thrives in a mix of fresh and salt water in estuaries, unlike the tiger pufferfish, which lives in fully marine coastal waters.
Do both the figure-8 puffer and pufferfish inflate when threatened?
Yes, both species can rapidly inflate their bodies by gulping water, a defensive trick shared across pufferfish species to make themselves a much harder target for a predator to swallow.