[texbirds] Re: I want to eat fugu, but I don't want to die

From: MBB22222@xxxxxxx
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 15:15:27 -0400 (EDT)
Before I sent original post I was trying to find information about what is  
known about other animals that can possibly eat puffers. In response to my 
post  I received several emails from people intrigued by the subject. I 
could only  send them a few notes I found so far.  Perhaps I will copy those 
here as  well for others who might have interest. A few general notes are 
suggesting that  perhaps at least some pufferfishes have concentrated toxins 
only 
during  particular seasons or only in some regions. I cannot highlight 
words in the text  send to Texbirds so instead I used all caps. Could some 
terns 
be able to know  when it is safe to take puffers, or what puffers are not 
poisonous? Cannot  answer this question and would like to know that answer 
myselfâ¦ 
 
Here are a few notes that I found interesting:
 
Not all puffers are necessarily poisonous; Takifugu oblongus, for example,  
is a FUGU PUFFER THAT IS NOT POISONOUS, AND TOXIN LEVEL VARIES WILDLY EVEN 
IN  FISH THAT ARE. A puffer's neurotoxin IS NOT NECESSARILY AS TOXIC TO 
OTHER  ANIMALS AS IT IS TO HUMANS, and puffers are eaten routinely by some 
species of  fish, such as lizardfish and tiger sharks. Also, Japanese fish 
farmers have  GROWN NONPOISONOUS PUFFERS BY CONTROLLING THEIR DIETS.
 
Predators which catch the puffer suddenly, before or during inflation, may  
die from choking, and predators that do manage to swallow the puffer may 
find  their stomachs full of tetrodotoxin, making puffers an unpleasant, 
possibly  lethal, choice of prey. THIS NEUROTOXIN IS FOUND PRIMARILY IN THE 
OVARIES AND  LIVER, ALTHOUGH SMALLER AMOUNTS EXIST IN THE INTESTINES AND SKIN, 
AS 
WELL AS  TRACE AMOUNTS IN MUSCLE.
 
THE SOURCE OF TETRODOTOXIN IN PUFFERS HAS BEEN A MATTER OF DEBATE, BUT IT  
IS INCREASINGLY ACCEPTED THAT BACTERIA IN THE FISH'S INTESTINAL TRACT ARE 
THE  SOURCE. 
 
SAXITOXIN, THE CAUSE OF PARALYTIC SHELLFISH POISONING AND RED TIDE, CAN  
ALSO BE FOUND IN CERTAIN PUFFERS. 
 
Pufferfish, called pakpao in Thailand, are usually consumed by mistake.  
They are often cheaper than other fish, and because they contain INCONSISTENT  
levels of toxins BETWEEN FISH AND SEASON, there is little awareness or  
monitoring of the danger. 
 
Cases of neurological symptoms, including numbness and tingling of the lips 
 and mouth, have been reported to rise after the consumption of puffers 
caught in  the area of Titusville, Florida. The symptoms generally resolve 
within hours to  days, although one affected individual required intubation for 
72 hours. As a  result, Florida banned the harvesting of puffers from 
CERTAIN bodies of water. 
 
 
 
Mark B Bartosik
Houston, Texas
http://www.pbase.com/mbb/from_the_field


In a message dated 7/12/2013 2:48:12 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
MBB22222@xxxxxxx writes:

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

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[texbirds] Re: I want to eat fugu, but I don't want to die

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