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Octopus and pufferfish – Deathly and delicious



Size-wise a blue ringed octopus could make a good pet. That’s at least what a little girl in Western Australia recently thought when picking one up while diving for shells. She put the tiny marine creature in her pocket and took it home. She was lucky. The octopus did not bite her.


Its venom, called tetrodotoxin, is a neurotoxin and one of the most potent in the animal kingdom, 1000 times stronger than cyanide. Tetrodotoxin prevents neurons from sending electrical signals to the muscle cells. As a consequence, the muscles aren’t able to receive any more orders from the brain and end up paralyzed. The effect sets in a few minutes after being bitten and starts with a tingling feeling around the lips. Eventually, the victim suffocates. An antivenom doesn’t exist. As the venom can’t infiltrate the brain, the victim stays fully conscious. However, this doesn’t have to be the end. Rescue breathing until an ambulance arrives and artificial respiration at the hospital will usually save the victim. After 24 hours the body metabolism will have eliminated the toxin.


Interestingly, blue ringed octopus can’t produce the toxin themselves. They have millions of busy little helpers that do the job for them. Certain bacteria like Pseudomonas inhabit the octopus’ salivary glands. It is a simple deal that keeps their symbiotic relationship going. The bacteria receive shelter and nutrients from the octopus. In return, the bacteria’s toxin fights off the octopus’ predators and paralyses its prey. While it usually hides in shells or rock crevices and is seldomly seen during the day, the octopus uses the cover of the night to hunt small fish and crustaceans. It grabs its prey with its tentacles and injects the venom with its beak.

Blue ringed octopus are not the only ones that appreciate the effects of tetrodotoxin.


Japanese gourmets enjoy the tingling sensation of lips and tongue when eating raw and thinly sliced pufferfish meat or fugu. The fugu’s inner organs, especially its liver, contain the deadly toxin. Only highly experienced and licensed fugu chefs are allowed to prepare the fish. They know exactly of how much of the toxin to leave in the dish to preserve its attraction. Mostly due to unlicensed preparation of the fish, death by fugu poisoning affects up to six people every year, a rare event considering the 10.000 tons of fugu being eaten annually. Only the Japanese Emperor is not allowed to join in this gastronomic equivalent of Russian roulette. He is forbidden to even touch the poisonous fish.


Listen to Boiling Point's podcast on blue ringed octopus:

iTunes: https://goo.gl/YtzS83 | http://eastsidefm.org/boilingpoint/#


Sources:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/blue-ringed-octopus?fbclid=IwAR0NxIMMg1RdEqIO_zpttRwhqyjC3zSv8MubiOCK8Y09YDATqU5ycy74dFo

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