The toxicity levels in puffer fish can be determined by the color of the markings. They come in a variety of different markings and those puffer fish with wild and colorful markings are often the most poisonous.
They normally have long bodies that are tapered at the sides and are equipped with almost bulbous shaped heads. When they swell in size, there appearance is even more noticeable and unique. Puffer fish have a very distinct appearance that is hard to miss. Since there are many different species, they are found throughout waters all over the world. There are even a select species of puffer fish that actually live in fresh water. Most of the known species of puffer fish can be found in tropical and subtropical waters. In fact, there are actually more than 120 different known species of puffer fish in the world. There is more than one type of puffer fish that is in existence. Even though people know that puffer fish are poisonous, they still continue to eat this meat in Japan. There are even a number of deaths each year attributed to poor cuts of puffer fish meat.
This meat must be prepared by a licensed chef that knows how to cut the meat and ensure that no poison remains. In Japan, puffer fish meat is referred to as fugu and is very expensive to buy. This might seem strange, but puffer fish meat is actually considered to be a delicacy in some parts of the world. Any antidote for this poison is still not known. More than 30 people could die due to the poison that is found in just one puffer fish. It should be known that the poisonous substance found in puffer fish is more than 1,2000 times more lethal than cyanide. In fact, puffer fish are so poisonous that they can even kill humans. Puffer fish are also unique in the way that they contain high amounts of tetrodotoxin, which is substance that makes puffer fish have a bad taste and is even lethal when ingested by fish. When a predator does somehow ingest a puffer fish before they have inflated to a large size, they will not live for long. What Happens When Puffer Fish Are Ingested? There are even some species of puffer fish that come with spines that do not make them very appetizing to predators.ΔΆ. If needed, puffer fish can even ingest air to grow to sizes that make them virtually inedible. This means that they can swell to enormous sizes that make them impossible for predators to kill. When they find themselves in danger, puffer fish have the unique ability to ingest large amounts of water in no time at all. Even though they have a slow swimming motion that makes them ideal prey, their elastic stomachs make up for it. One of the most noticeable characteristics about puffer fish involves the elasticity of their stomachs.