Puffer
fish are a part of the family Tetraodontidae.
There
are 19
genera and 121 individual species of puffer fish in this genus. Puffers
flourish in the tropical regions of the world. Their numbers decrease
substantially in temperate zones and are nonexistent in colder water
regions.
This species is prevalent in open water as well as the semi-enclosed
estuaries
of bays and sounds and the brackish water areas of river tidal mouths.
Puffers
are typically small to medium sized fish. However there are species
that can
grow up to almost 40 inches in length.
Puffer fish
derived their
names from the highly elastic qualities of their
stomach linings. They have the ability to rapidly inflate their stomach
with
water until they are almost completely spherical in shape. This purely
defensive mechanism serves the dual purpose of making them harder to
swallow
and giving their would-be predators a reason to take pause and question
the
size of the prey they have chosen to hunt. Puffers will frequently
inflate
their stomachs with air when they are suddenly lifted up out of the
water. They
often experience difficulty expelling this foreign substance form their
stomachs. A knowledgeable aquarist will hold the fish by its tail with
its head
pointed upwards. The fish is then gently shaken until the water escapes
from
its mouth. Various species of puffer fish are known by the names
puffer,
blowfish, bubblefish, balloonfish, globefish, swellfish, as well as
toadfish,
toadies, honey toads, and sea squabs. The later references refer to
their
course almost sandpaper-like spines.
Puffer fish are
the second
most poisonous vertebrates in the world in
relation to human consumption. They
are
preceded only by the Golden Poison Frog.
Despite the inherent danger,
puffer
fish are considered exotic delicacies in both Japan
and Korea.
In Japan
puffer flesh is known as fugu, and in Korea,
bok. Specially trained chefs are charged with the responsibility of
rendering
this fish’s toxins harmless for their expecting guests. It
should be noted that
the toxins found in puffer fish are not nearly as toxic to many marine
species
as they are to humans.
Puffer fish
poisoning is
usually the result of improperly prepared dishes.
The ingestion of properly prepared puffer fish will result in a
light-headed
feeling of intoxication and a numbness of the lips and tongue. When
improperly
prepared; deadening of the lips and tongue, dizziness and vomiting will
soon
overcome the euphoric effects. These are the initial symptoms of puffer
fish poisoning.
Progressive symptoms are; a prickling sensation all over the body, an
increase
in heart rate, a decrease in blood pressure and muscle paralysis. Death
most
commonly results from suffocation due to the paralysis of the
diaphragm. What's for dinner?
Most victims of
puffer
poisoning die within 24 hours. There have been cases
or puffer poisoning induced comas that lasted several days. Coma
patients often
awake to report that they were fully conscious and remember everything
that was
said and done during the course of their paralysis. Patients who
survive the
first 24 hours without lapsing into a coma usually make a full recovery. The
common treatments for puffer poisoning
are stomach pumping and activated charcoal filtration of the blood. Little
else can be done with current
technological levels.
Because of their
toxic
qualities puffer fish have been harvested for
centuries by Voodoo practitioners. Pharmaceutical companies are
researching the
toxicological effect of these fish for the advancement of modern
medicine. The
first of these drugs to be releases is Tectin derived from
tetrodotoxin. When
administered in small doses this potent medication relieves the chronic
pain
experienced by many cancer patients. Studies are also being conducted
on the
use of tetrodotoxin based medication to help in the treatment of opiate
withdrawals.
The
scientific name, Tetraodontidae,
refers to the four large teeth characteristic to every member of this
family.
Two teeth are fused in the upper and two in the lower plates of these
fishes’
jaw bones. In their natural habitat they are used for crushing mollusks
and
crustaceans. Extreme caution should be exercised in the handling of
these fish;
not just form potential bite wounds but also from the possibility of
toxin
seeping into the open wound.
