The white-spotted puffer (Arothron hispidus) is a medium sized puffer fish and is light grey in color, or greyish or yellowish, and clearly covered with more or less regular white points.
As it is protected by the reef from strong currents, it has no need of strong swimming skills. It slowly advances by flapping its fins and using its tail as a rudder. Balloon-fishes such as the white spotted puffer are very agile they swim back, forth, up and down. This agility helps them to procure food out of the smallest cracks.
They have tetrodotoxine in their skin and organs. This is a poisonous substance that paralyses and kills. The poison of one single balloon-fish suffices to kill 30 people In Japan, however, they are considered to be a delicacy. Japanese chefs that want to cook this fish, have to take an exam to prove they can prepare the dish safely. Each year dozens of people still die of this dish called ‘fugu’. Due to the risk, it is forbidden for the emperor of Japan to eat it !
Egypt
The white-spotted puffer (Arothron hispidus) is a medium sized puffer fish and is light grey in color, or greyish or yellowish, and clearly covered with more or less regular white points. As it is protected by the reef from strong currents, it has no need of strong swimming skills. It slowly advances by flapping its fins and using its tail as a rudder. Balloon-fishes such as the white spotted puffer are very agile they swim back, forth, up and down. This agility helps them to procure food out of the smallest cracks. They have tetrodotoxine in their skin and organs. This is a poisonous substance that paralyses and kills. The poison of one single balloon-fish suffices to kill 30 people In Japan, however, they are considered to be a delicacy. Japanese chefs that want to cook this fish, have to take an exam to prove they can prepare the dish safely. Each year dozens of people still die of this dish called ‘fugu’. Due to the risk, it is forbidden for the emperor of Japan to eat it !