Up To 1,200 Times More Poisonous Than Cyanide
Although they look cute, Caribbean puffer fish are generally believed to be the second – most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Certain internal organs, such as liver, and sometimes the skin, are highly toxic to most animals when eaten.
Almost all puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The toxin paralyzes the muscles, including the muscles in our diaphragm, which is essential for breathing. The victim eventually dies of asphyxiation. It is estimated there is enough toxin in one puffer fish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.