The Puffer Forum

Just Watch:

looks like a migration of sorts. Possibly to a breeding ground or a seasonal change?

Thanks

Cool thanks for sharing

Wow, look at all them dar porcupine's, dar maw...

Yeah, I agree with J-P. Breeding grounds, imo

Mass occurences of D. holocanthus have been reported several times. In one case about 35.000 specimens. Usually most of the pelagic fry of this species die before changing into juveniles due to various reasons and only a few survive. In these events, however, much more fry from the last season survived, developed into juveniles leading to such mass occurences.

However, these large numbers are not sustainable. Thousands starve to death and thousands are eaten. Some larger predatory fishes (such as Acanthocybium solandri, the wahoo.... okay you can all go Mario now: "It'se me: Mario, wahoo!") are caught full of porcupine puffers during such events.

These mass occurences appear not regularly but every few years or every few decades. At the end of the seventies there were quite a number of them. Interestingly this occurs mostly (but not only) in the Carribean and indicates that regional factors are most important (food for larvae, lack of larvae predatos).

Another puffer showing the same phenomenon in the area is Canthigaster rostrata, which can occur in similar numbers in some years.

Amazing video, Thanks for posting

Corvus wrote:Mass occurences of D. holocanthus have been reported several times. In one case about 35.000 specimens. Usually most of the pelagic fry of this species die before changing into juveniles due to various reasons and only a few survive. In these events, however, much more fry from the last season survived, developed into juveniles leading to such mass occurences.

However, these large numbers are not sustainable. Thousands starve to death and thousands are eaten. Some larger predatory fishes (such as Acanthocybium solandri, the wahoo.... okay you can all go Mario now: "It'se me: Mario, wahoo!") are caught full of porcupine puffers during such events.

These mass occurences appear not regularly but every few years or every few decades. At the end of the seventies there were quite a number of them. Interestingly this occurs mostly (but not only) in the Carribean and indicates that regional factors are most important (food for larvae, lack of larvae predatos).

Another puffer showing the same phenomenon in the area is Canthigaster rostrata, which can occur in similar numbers in some years.

Very interresting and thanks for the info.

LOL@wahoo! It'se me: Mario, wahoo.....Lmao!!! Good humor I liked that one....LoL