15 Fun Facts About Pufferfish

Fugu, I Hardly Know You

I have created a list of pufferfish facts because they are cute and I was considering including them in a story I'm writing. 

Most of my knowledge about pufferfish came from the 1991 Simpsons episode One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish. I thought I should expand my knowledge before I wrote about them (also because it was kind of sad that most of my knowledge came from a half hour cartoon show).

Fishes (1907)

David Starr Jordan

1. The puffer fish is not a species but a family with around 120 species in it.
2. Not all puffer fish will kill you. Just most.
3. Their adorable inflatability is a punishment for any animal that is foolish enough to eat it. Imagine having your dinner inflating in your throat as you are trying to swallow it.
4. Those cute pictures of inflated fish are actually pictures of fish trying desperately to not die.
5. The pufferfish can inflate using water or air depending on the location.
6. Japanese scientists have breed non-poisonous puffer fish.
7. People aren't quite as interested in eating non-poisonous puffer fish because the chance to get high or die or get high and die is part of the appeal. Go figure. Although properly prepared fugu by a master in Japan is relatively safe because they spend two years training to do it right. Just don't go taste testing a diy filet by a home chef.
8. Puffer fish don't make the poison. Bacteria colonies in the puffer fish do. Mmm...bacteria.
9. Tetrodotoxin won't necessarily kill you. If you survive the paralysis, the drop in blood pressure, the nausea, vomiting, and avoid respiratory failure you'll pull through when it works its way out of your system.
10. Puffer fish can be sweet (and not culinarily). They can be cute and playful. Some people liken their behavior to dogs.
11. They can be the key to a good time for dolphins who may use the little guys get a little high.
12. Males attract mates by making circles on the sea floor. Some puffer fish also make sand castles for shelter.
13. Some puffer fish can change color to match their surroundings.
14. They are toothy. In other words, they have four teeth that continually grow.
15. They could be key to creating a new class of pain killers. Scientists are trying to replicate the effect of tetrodotoxin on nerves to kill pain instead of people.

I now know more about puffer fish (also blowfish and balloonfish). I don't know if they'll fit into the story but at least I have some material to work with if they do.