Have you met Pawpaw the pufferfish?

Many of our Two Oceans Aquarium family may have met Pawpaw, the guineafowl pufferfish. For those who haven't, let's learn more about this bright and adorable presence in the I&J Ocean Exhibit!

Pawpaw's story of how he came to live at the Aquarium is fascinating. In 2021, Pawpaw was given to the Aquarium by a local pet store that received him unintentionally as part of a consignment. Despite the unusual nature of his arrival, the Aquarium couldn't resist Pawpaw's charm! Now, this little one-eyed fish is one of the most well-known residents of our I&J Ocean Exhibit.

Let's learn more about guineafowl pufferfish...

Guineafowl puffers have a wide range, living on rocky and coral reefs from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, among Japan's Ryukyu Islands, and across the Pacific Ocean to Easter Island and Mexico.

In nature, these puffers have three distinct colour variations: Brown with many white spots, yellow with black blotches (like Pawpaw), or a mix of the two. The yellow variation is the most unique, which is probably why Pawpaw was collected in the first place...

You may notice that Pawpaw has quite a goofy grin, but this is for a good reason! Guineafowl pufferfish have strong jaws, sporting beak-like teeth fused into two tooth plates on each jaw. These are adapted to scrape food off rocks and crush hard-bodied prey like corals, coralline algae, sponges, echinoderms, and other invertebrates.

Guineafowl pufferfish are weak swimmers. This is because their unusual shape is primarily adapted to "puffing up" defensively. Instead of relying on camouflage, pufferfish face threats "head-on". When threatened, these pufferfish swallow water and inflate themselves to several times their normal size. This is incredibly effective at deterring predators!

Once the threat has subsided, the pufferfish will use its abdominal muscles to push the water back out of its mouth and return to its normal size.

Guineafowl pufferfish have one more defensive trick up their fins: Their bodies store toxins created by the bacteria that live symbiotically inside their bodies. This means that they are poisonous to potential predators!

We're so glad that Pawpaw found a suitable home with us - since arrival, this goofy-looking pufferfish has made a huge impression on visitors and staff alike! Not only is he incredibly photogenic, but he also provides much entertainment while slowly finning around the exhibit.

Be sure to visit Pawpaw in our I&J Ocean Exhibitthe next time you're at the Two Oceans Aquarium - you can usually spot him near the rocks to the side of the main viewing panels.