Do all puffers have toxins in thier skin?

[vanillaprice]

I just saw a program on Discovery that talked about puffers that have a toxin in thier skin and spikes. Is this not in the puffers that are commonly found for sale. If they do have the toxins how do they inject it. If it is in thier spikes could they inject it by just touching them and them not having to be inflated. I thought they showed a puffer that did not have spikes when they were talking about this.

 

[vanillaprice]

Some one has to know something about puffers.

 

[LeoR]

The short answer is NO.

There is about 100 species of puffers and most of them do not have poisonous skin and spines.
Puffers with poisonous skin usually do not have spines.
Most poisonous puffers have toxin in their intestines (ovaries or liver).

LeoR
diodon.org

 

[mariner]

I put a lot of toxins into my liver and I'm not deadly!

 

[LeoR]

mariner:

Wrong analogy.

Your liver's role is to dispose of all the toxins you put in, while puffers purposefully accumulate toxins for self-defense.

The difference is more than academic: tetradotoxin from one Fugu puffer can kill 30 people.

LeoR

[ March 21, 2002: Message edited by: LeoR ]</p>

 

[nin1one7295]

This is why hundreds of people die each year from eating puffer in sushi bars.