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JADDCARDS - Natural History Greeting Cards
' Porcupine Fish' - World Wildlife

Porcupine Fish (Diodon holocanthus )
Hope you like our Porcupine Fish picture, technically it's frightened but it looks pretty happy to us! Porcupine fish, (also known as Spiny Pufferfishes,) are covered in spines and, when threatened, can inflate their bodies into a ball-shape by swallowing water. When deflated the spines are held flat, close to the body.

Diodon is an abbreviation of Diodontidae meaning "two teeth". Their upper and lower teeth are fused together giving the impression of a single top and bottom tooth. Porcupine fish use these fused teeth and hard plates on the roof of their mouths to crush hard-bodied prey such as sea urchins and molluscs.

This Porcupine Fish image can also be found on our key rings and fridge magnets.

If you want to learn more about these fish visit the Bristol Zoo Website. Bristol Zoological Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural world. We would not promote a zoo unless they had convinced us of their commitment to conservation.

NH03 (120mm x 120mm)

Blank for your personal message.
Individually packed in cello bags
Board weight 300gsm
Quality pearlised 90gsm envelopes in beautiful colours.

© Ali Skingsley 2003

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