This fish blog will answer the major question, “Is it safe to touch a baby puffer fish?” we will also discuss whether baby puffer fish are poisonous, how the reproduction of baby puffer fish is related to its defense mechanism, and how the baby puffer fish defend themselves under the water.
Is it safe to touch a baby puffer fish?
No, it is not safe to touch a baby puffer fish because it has potent toxins which can cause paralysis, also it has spikes on the skin which can damage the skin of human beings. There are different defense mechanisms of puffer fish but the above one is the most common one.
Are puffer fish poisonous?
Yes, puffer fish are extremely poisonous and they can affect animals as well as humans too. Puffer fish has a unique toxin known as TTX which is present at different locations of different types of puffer fish.
Mostly it is located in the ovaries of puffer fish but it is present in the skin of grass puffer fish and in the intestine of the tiger puffer fish. It is also present in the liver of many puffer fishes.
Following are the major health hazards of puffer fish for humans:
Puffer fish can cause paralysis of muscles
Puffer fishes have a unique toxin that can block the acetylcholine receptors and it does not allow the nerve impulse to pass from the body organ to the brain especially the muscles which can lead to muscle paralysis and is extremely lethal for humans as well as animals.
Puffer fish can cause stomach upset in humans
Puffer fish is used as a delicacy in Japan and many people fall ill after consuming it because it has potent toxins. After cooking the intensity of toxins decreases so the toxins only cause stomach upset in you.
Following are the major clinical signs of stomach upset you might experience:
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Lethargy
- Weakness
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
Dehydration can be dangerous for you because it can cause hypovolemia which is the low volume of blood in the blood vessels of the body. It can restrict the flow of oxygen to the vital organs and ultimately lead to hypovolemic shock and death.
Puffer fish can cause skin injuries in humans
Puffer fish have spines and spikes on their skin and it has the ability to puff out there by touching the spikes with the prey body and killing it with their spines.
If you happen to touch such a puffer fish which is puffed out then you will get injuries around the hand and if it is a grass puffer fish it can project toxins into your body which is more dangerous than the injury itself.
Puffer fish is also dangerous for animals and as a defense mechanism, it uses spikes and spines. Due to these spikes and spines, the predator spits out the puffer fish and throws it in the water.
How is the reproduction of the puffer fish related to the defense mechanism of the puffer fish underwater?
It is proved by scientists that the mother of the puffer fish transfers the potent toxin such as TTX into the ovaries of the baby puffer fish and in this way, during the gestation period, the puffer fish is ready to hunt and kill some animals and humans. They are extremely deadly creatures and are ranked among the top deadliest fishes underwater.
There is a unique way of producing the baby puffer fish because when the male releases sperm in the water, these sperm swim in the water and reach the female where the female engulfs it and after the gestation period, it lays eggs in the water.
After that, the male will push the eggs to the surface of the water near the shore where the eggs will remain and after some time hatch to give baby puffer fish.
Are baby puffer fish good pets?
Yes, they are good pets but only for trained aquarium experts and not for beginners because they are extremely dangerous. They quickly recognize their parents and usually want food like that of a dog.
How do baby puffer fish defend themselves underwater?
If a baby puffer fish sees a predator, it quickly puffs itself to keep itself ready for a fight. The larger predator will eat the puffer fish but the spines will damage the internal organs of the predator thereby killing the predator with spines and TTX toxins.
Conclusion
In this fish blog, we answered the major question, “Is it safe to touch a baby puffer fish?” we also discussed whether baby puffer fish are poisonous, how the reproduction of baby puffer fish is related to its defense mechanism, and how the baby puffer fish defend themselves under the water.
