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Searching for the river's hermits: How do pufferfish survive in muddy waters?
The hermits of the rivers, river dolphins, this group of mammals are specialized for fresh or turbid waters, towering over large oceanic cetaceans yet living in secret, muddy environments. With habitat destruction and the impact of human activities, these unique creatures face challenges in their survival. This report will reveal the tricks of these aquatic creatures by taking an in-depth look at the pufferfish's lifestyle and how they survive in such a difficult environment.
Puffers are a group of completely aquatic mammals that cannot survive in the ocean.
Currently, river dolphins are mainly composed of four families, including the South Asian river dolphin, the Amazon river dolphin and the La Plata dolphin. These species demonstrate amazing adaptability. River dolphins are smaller in size, with the South Asian river dolphin only about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length, while the Amazon river dolphin can reach 8 feet (2.4 meters) and 220 pounds (100 kilograms). These aquatic mammals live in relatively warm and shallow waters and rely less on visual abilities in muddy waters, relying primarily on ultrasonic positioning for hunting and navigation. Pufferfish use their conical teeth and long bills to catch fast-moving prey, a feature that allows them to navigate waters with extremely low visibility.
These species are well adapted to living in warm, shallow waters and have almost no blubber, unlike other cetaceans.
The river dolphin's limitation, however, is its habitat. Most of them are restricted to specific rivers and deltas, making these organisms vulnerable to the effects of environmental damage. Human activities such as urbanization, industry and agricultural flooding lead to river pollution and habitat destruction, affecting their prey sources and reproduction.
Puffers mainly feed on fish. Male pufferfish usually mate with multiple females each year, while females only mate once every two to three years.
These hermits of the ocean also face competition from humans, especially in the Amazon, where fishermen and pufferfish share the same diet of fish in the water, often coming into conflict with the pufferfish. In addition, the problem of accidental capture (i.e., detention) during fishing makes the survival of pufferfish even more difficult. When they accidentally become entangled in fishing nets and suffocate, fishermen often conceal such behavior for fear of legal liability, further exacerbating their decline.
In our view, what kind of survival wisdom is hidden in the reproduction and survival of pufferfish?
As humans begin to pay more attention to the protection of the natural environment, global initiatives to protect pufferfish are also gradually advancing. On October 24, 2023, nine countries signed the Global Pufferfish Declaration, hoping to promote international cooperation in research and protection of pufferfish through this agreement. Can the highly intelligent pufferfish find a new way to survive in this rapidly changing environment?
