There is an old expression such that - I want to eat fugu, but I don't want to die. Fugu, also known as pufferfish, blowfish, or globefish usually are quite toxic. I only saw a few cases when terns were transporting or feeding these fishes to chicks. Although mother-in-law should always get the first bite (as a sign of respect to the elders) terns are lacking this practical behavior. I never saw other birds taking puffers. Here are recently taken photos of Royal Tern transporting a pufferfish, perhaps a girlfriend was unfaithful. http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/151281334 http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/151281332 http://www.pbase.com/mbb/royal_tern_catching_and_transporting_pufferfish_ And a few old photos showing Least Tern feeding puffer to chicks (got tiered of teenage behavior?). http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/102089002 http://www.pbase.com/mbb/image/102088992 http://www.pbase.com/mbb/least_tern__feeding_pufferfish_to_juvenile Perhaps some fishermen from Gulf of Mexico know how poison are species of the local puffers. I am not going to try to eat one nor I still have mother-in-law to make an experiment. Mark B Bartosik Houston, Texas http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner
