Pufferfish
About the Pufferfish
The second most poisonous vertebrate in the world after the golden poison frog. One pufferfish contains enough tetrodotoxin to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no antidote. Despite this, fugu is a prized delicacy in Japan where specially licensed chefs prepare it. The emperor of Japan is forbidden from eating it. They can inflate to 2-3x their size by gulping water or air. They have spines that become visible when inflated. Many species create elaborate geometric sand circles on the seafloor as mating displays, taking days to complete. Over 120 species exist. The toxin is produced by bacteria, not the fish itself.
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