Welcome to the
next installment of Shit That Can Kill You Friday's!
Today, we look
at tetraodontidae, more commonly known as the pufferfish, blowfish, bubblefish,
swellfish, and to his friends, Kenny.
Most of the
species of this fish are toxic and some rank at the top of the list of the most
poisonous vertebrates in the world. They don't even have to sting or inject
toxin into you, their skin contains tetrodotoxin which is highly toxic when
ingested. But that doesn't stop those crazy Japanese from eating them, apparently,
it’s a delicacy. If prepared wrong, the victim has the worst case of literal
food poisoning. The worst of the toxin's affects is muscle paralysis. This
means that a very important muscle, the diaphragm, cannot do its thing so the
victim can't breathe. Yikes. (Note: breathing is important.)
Eating these
little guys is not limited to Japan. Other far eastern countries eat them too.
AND FLORIDA. That's right. Florida. Those inbred fools will eat anything. They
might as well play Russian roulette with a hand grenade. I sometimes think
America has evolved past certain levels of stupid, but Florida is always there
to prove me wrong. It just has to be prepared wrong once, just one time, and you
die.
The Japanese
name for the pufferfish is fugu. An important thing to watch
out for on the menu at a sushi place in Florida, or anywhere for that matter.
You know what, just don't eat sushi in Florida. Not worth the risk. Do you
really want to put your life in the hands of a Floridian? Me neither.
Stay safe out there.
--
Charles R Mercer
Amateur Zoologist
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