Here’s how to catch a puffer fish in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Puffer fish are lovers, not fighters. You can tell by the fact they blow up like balloons whenever they feel threatened, a defense tactic that is shared by yours truly. That’s why I always have a large balloon in my pocket.
New Horizons makes the distinction between blowfish and puffer fish, although the two names are often used interchangeably in the real world. Blowfish, in New Horizons, are poisonous, whereas puffer fish are not. In reality, puffer fish are just as likely to be poisonous as blowfish, but there are certainly non-poisonous species of puffer fish out there.
As a defense mechanism, puffer fish blow themselves up with air or water to make themselves a less attractive meal. Their skin is covered in tiny spikes that will help them get caught in the throat of whatever is trying to eat them, which will hopefully cause the predator to spit them out. Also, simply appearing larger is often enough to scare away smaller predators. Plus they look pretty cute when they’re all ballooned up.
Anywhere, here’s where you can fish yourself up a puffer fish.
Where To Find Puffer Fish
Puffer fish only spawn in the ocean, so go get your fishing rod and head to the beach. They can spawn at all hours of the day, but only appear in the summer months. In the North, that’s from July to September, and in the Southern Hemisphere, that’s from January to March. They spawn from medium-sized shadows, so keep an eye out for those.
Puffer fish are uncommon and can be sold for 250 Bells or donated to Blathers’ museum. Or you can just keep one and carry it around like a spiky basketball that occasionally turns back into a fish. Puffer fish can actually be kept as pets in the aquarium trade (at least, the non-poisonous ones), and they’ve been known to be pretty intelligent fish too.
And affectionate! Check out this puffer loving on a diver.
