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Pez globo (Arothron diadematus), mar Rojo, Egipto, 2023-04-17, DD 19
2023-04-17
- Classification
- Photograph
- Museum
- Wikimedia Commons
- Rights
- CC BY-SA 4.0, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Kids profiles and older: it shows nature, places, still life or a children's book. How works are placed
About this work
Masked puffer (Arothron diadematus), Red Sea, Egypt. This pufferfish can only be found in the Red Sea from surface to 20 metres (66 ft) depth and associated with coral reefs. It has a maximum length of 30 centimetres (12 in) and is usually solitary but in schools during mating period. As with many other puffers, this pufferfish has a symbiotic relationship with types of bacteria that produces tetradotoxin which is a powerful neurotoxin. Tetradoxin is found in their skin and internal organs like liver and is approximately 100 times more toxic than cyanide, what makes pufferfishes among the most poisonous vertebrates in the world. They are therefore highly toxic to most animals when eaten. Nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in Japan, Korea, and China when prepared by specially trained chefs who know which part is safe to eat and in what quantity. Furthermore one of the most known characteristics of pufferfishes is that they can inflate taking water or air an so multiply their size several times to avoid that they can be swallowed by predators.
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