ANIMAL WATCH: PUFFER FISH

Puffer fish, also known as blowfish, are located in tropical seas around the globe. Though they’re the second most poisonous vertebrate on the planet (after the golden arrow dart frog), they’re arguably more dangerous as their neurotoxin, called tetrodoxin, is found in
the fish’s skin, muscle tissue, liver, kidneys, and gonads, all of which must be avoided when preparing the creature for human consumption. The tetrodoxin is up to 1,200 times more poisonous than that of cyanide, and can cause deadening of the tongue and lips, dizziness, vomiting, arrhythmia, difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis and, if left untreated, death