The teeth of the Spotted Puffer (Arothron maleagris) have fused to form a beak, used for scraping coral. Puffers have two means of defense. First, they can suck in massive amounts of water to puff themselves into a large ball (this one was about the size of a basketball). Second, if the size doesn�t deter a predator, the tetradotoxin in its liver and sex organs is one of the most powerful poisons known. Fugu, a pufferfish considered a gourmet delicacy in Japan, kills as many as 50 unlucky gourmets a year.

This puffer was photographed in about 40 feet of water off the south Kohala Coast near the Mauna Lani Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.