Georgia Arnold

Science/Mrs.Cook

10/21/15

Striped Burrfish

The Striped Burrfish, or Chilomycterus schoepfi, is a yellow green color with brown/black spikes. It can grow up to 10 inches long, and has yellow spikes covering its entire body. Its characteristics include brown spots cover the dorsel fins,  as well as black spots. To swim, the striped burrfish squirts water out of its gills propelling them forward. They eat snails, barnacles, and other small fish. When they eat something like a snail, their teeth crushes the shell, making it easier to digest. The striped burrfish does not have any main predators, but a shark is one of them. It is in the Eukariot Domain, Animala kingdom, Chordata Phylum Actinopterygii Class, Diodontidae Family, Chilomycterus Genus, and finally Schoepfi Species. The striped burrfish is usually found from Virginia to Maryland to the Gulf of Mexico. They usually live in estuarys with sandy/rocky floors.  A behavioral and functional adaptation of the striped burrfish is that they puff up when threatened. They are able to deflate their bodies, a structural adaptation.