Japanese pufferfish Coloring Pages

The Symbol of Fancy Fish! What Is the Japanese pufferfish?

The Japanese pufferfish is said to be the most high-class and delicious fish out of all the pufferfish friends. Its meat is firm and chewy. The more you chew it, the more yummy flavor comes out! That is why it is an important part of special Japanese treats like sashimi, hot pots, and deep-fried fish.

Why Is It Called That and English Names

Its Japanese name has the word "tiger" in it. That comes from the pretty "tiger pattern" spreading from its back down to its sides. In English, it is called "Tiger puffer" or "Japanese pufferfish". It is known all around the world along with Japan's food culture of eating pufferfish.

Where Does It Live? Places and Seasons You Can See It

In Japan, it lives in wide ocean areas, from southern Hokkaido all the way down to Kyushu and the Seto Inland Sea.

• Where it lives: When they are babies, they live in shallow places near the shore. When they grow up, they move to deep open waters over 100 meters deep.

• Best time to eat: You can catch them all year long. But the time they taste the best is in winter, from November to around March, when they get ready to lay eggs.

What Does It Eat? The Ocean Hunter

The Japanese pufferfish has a cute face, but it is actually a very fierce hunter fish.

• Favorite foods: It loves to eat shrimp, crabs, squid, octopus, small fish, and shellfish.

• Powerful weapon: It is so strong that it can crunch up hard crab shells and clam shells with its strong teeth, just like using pliers.

How Long Does It Live? Lifespan and Size

People say the Japanese pufferfish lives about 10 years in the wild ocean. That is quite a long life for a fish! Eggs born in spring hatch right away and grow super fast. When they grow up, they can reach a big size of 50 centimeters, and huge ones can even grow over 70 centimeters long.

The Amazing Way It Blows Up Its Body

When a Japanese pufferfish senses danger, it is famous for puffing up round like a ball.

• How it puffs up: It does not use air. It gulps a huge amount of water into its stomach to puff up its body! (It gulps air when it gets pulled up onto land.)

• Why it does it: By making its body many times bigger, it tells enemy fish, "I am too big for you to eat!" That is how it protects itself. It is a cool trick to survive in the wild ocean.

The Secret of the Deadly Poison "Tetrodotoxin"

You need a special, strict license to cook Japanese pufferfish. That is because it has scary poison inside its body.

• Name of the poison: It has a nerve poison called "tetrodotoxin" that is hundreds of times stronger than potassium cyanide.

• Where the poison is: Strong poison is found mostly in the liver, ovaries, and skin. There is no poison in the fish meat or soft roe. Licensed expert chefs safely remove all the poisonous parts before serving it to people.

• Where the poison comes from: Baby pufferfish are actually born without any poison! As they eat poisonous plankton and shellfish in the sea, poison slowly builds up inside their bodies. It is a very mysterious thing.

How to Spot a Japanese pufferfish: Patterns and Sharp Teeth

It has cool features that help you tell it apart from other pufferfish right away.

• Big black spot: Right behind its side fin, there is a big black round spot with a white edge. This is the main mark of the Japanese pufferfish.

• Sharp teeth: In its mouth, it has sharp teeth joined together on the top and bottom. They look just like a bird's beak!

The Coolest Parts: "Big Black Circles" and Tiger Stripes

To show how cool the Japanese pufferfish is, start by coloring the patterns on its back!

• The Main Mark: Behind the side fin, color the "big black circle" with the white edge in deep black so it stands out!

• Tiger Stripes on the Back: Draw spots on the back using black, dark brown, or olive green. Leave a lighter border around the spots to make it look just like real skin!

Little Spikes and a Puffed-Up Body

The belly of a Japanese pufferfish has lots of tiny spikes. In pictures where it faces you and puffs up like a balloon, this is the best part!

• Belly Colors: The belly is mostly white. But instead of leaving it plain, softly add light gray or creamy pale yellow to the shadowy parts at the bottom.

• Making It Round: Think of a round ball and color light shadows from the middle to the edges. This makes your Japanese pufferfish look cute and full of water!

Shiny Eyes and Strong Teeth

When you color the face carefully, your fish will look full of life!

• Big Shiny Eyes: The eyes are big, round, and stick out a little. Color the center black and add pale yellow or gold around it for a cute, silly look.

• Strong Mouth: Color the teeth white or pale beige. Then color around the lips with pink-brown to show off its strong jaw that can crunch anything!

Shaded Fins and the Ocean Background

• Coloring the Fins: Color all the fins light gray or brown. Draw lines along the fin stripes with a darker color to make them look like they are swimming through water!

• Watery Background: Draw pop-pop water bubbles in the white space! Gently color the area around the fish with light blue or emerald green. It will look like a cool picture of a fish swimming in the ocean!

The Secret Behind Puffing Up When Angry

When a predator comes near, the Japanese pufferfish gulps down lots of water or air to blow up its belly super big. Making itself look huge startles the enemy. It is a neat trick to protect itself!

It Actually Has a Spiky Body!

Some kinds of pufferfish are smooth, but the skin of the Japanese pufferfish is covered in tiny prickles. When its belly puffs up, these spikes stick right out so enemies cannot get close.

Strong Teeth That Can Bite Through Wire

It looks cute, but it actually has super strong teeth! Its top and bottom teeth fused together just like a bird's beak. It is strong enough to easily bite through hard crab shells, fishhooks, and even metal wire!

Strong Poison to Protect Its Body

The Japanese pufferfish has a very strong poison inside its body called tetrodotoxin. This poison keeps enemies from eating it. But it is dangerous for humans too, so there is a rule that only chefs with a special license can cook it.

The King of All Pufferfish

There are many kinds of pufferfish in Japan, but the Japanese pufferfish is known as the king of them all because it tastes the best! When cold winter comes, it is a super popular fish for fancy hot pots and beautifully arranged raw fish slices (fugu sashimi).