Unusual ball slave. Are puffers the most dangerous fish in the ocean? Puffer fish

In its normal state, the puffer fish's body is shaped like a fairly common fish. It is round and short. The head is large and very expressive. Powerful jaws, nostrils and eyes give the head a froglike look. The eyes are set far apart. Some species can move the eyes around the body. Only pectoral fins, but well developed. With their help, the fish can move not only forward but also backward.

All puffer fish are small in size, and only a few species can reach an impressive length of 1.2 m. They are typical inhabitants of coral reefs, but are also found in freshwater rivers in South America and North Africa. The whole body of pufferfish is covered with small sharp needles. The fish uses these thorns as a defensive shield. Taking in a large amount of water, it swells like a balloon, exposing its needles outside. The attacker cannot grab the fish (try to catch an apple suspended on a rope with your teeth) and leaves it alone. If the predator is large enough to capture the swollen blowfish entirely, then both die. The attacker cannot swallow a sharp ball - the needles cling to the throat, and the victim, because he cannot get out of the closed mouth.

Biologists believe that the ability to inflate an elastic stomach due to a large amount of water (or air) appeared in fish during evolution. By themselves, these fish are very slow, and instead of running away from the attacker, they acquired sharp needles and the ability to increase several times in size. The shape of the ball turns the fish into a completely inedible bubble. And the poison that accumulates on the thorns is 1200 times stronger than cyanide. One fish contains so much of it that it will be enough to kill 30 adults, and there is no known antidote in nature.

Surprisingly, blowfish meat is an exceptional delicacy. The most famous dish is puffer fish in Japan. It is prepared only by chefs licensed to cook fish. However, deaths due to improperly cooked puffer fish still occur.

By the way, puffer fish can be found in Russia. More recently, in September 2010, two tourists from Khabarovsk died after eating fish soup from a fish caught in the Sea of \u200b\u200bJapan.

These fish are quite aggressive. A trifle pufferfish still gathers in flocks, but adults always live alone, trying not to have close proximity with congeners. They are jealous of their territory, cruising for hours in search of prey. Pufferfish feed on algae and invertebrates. Large species bite into mussels and molluscs. Their mouths are 4 large fused teeth.

Noticing a threat to its sovereignty, the fish attacks without hesitation. As if sensing her impunity, she rushes at the superior in size "guest". Cases were repeatedly recorded when pufferfish bit the fingers of people and the reproductive organs of men.

Some freshwater puffer fish live in home aquariums. Fish owners warn other aquarists to take care of their fingers when feeding or cleaning. Despite the seeming sluggishness, the fish can make a quick short jump.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about five percent of the world's oceans have been explored to date. That is, what is happening under the surface of the remaining 95 percent, we have no idea yet.

Japanese photographer Yohji Ookata recently returned with colleagues and the crew of a nature television program from filming this natural wonder.

In contrast to the "crop circles", this mysterious phenomenon was explained.

Yohji Ookata devoted 50 years of his life to the secrets hidden in the depths of the ocean - ever since he became a licensed scuba diver at the age of 21. At the age of 39, he finally made his main choice. He quit his office job and became an independent underwater photographer.

But even to a person who has spent the last 50 years diving into the underwater world, the ocean can prove that it is still a big mystery to humans. While diving in the subtropical region of Amami Oshima, at a depth of about 25 meters, Yohji noticed something he had never seen underwater. And, as it turned out, no one had seen this either.

On the seabed, he discovered a beautiful drawing. It also consisted of undulating ridges tending to the center, as if a skilled craftsman had worked at the bottom. They were very similar to the drawings that were found in the fields. And Yohji decided to call for help from a scientific group, which revealed the secret of the great underwater artist.

Underwater cameras captured a skilled creator. It turned out to be a puffer fish, which, day and night, diligently, with the help of fins, painted these waves at the bottom of the sea. It is unlikely that the Japanese imagined that this puffer fish, known as a very poisonous delicacy, did this.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the circles perform several important functions. But perhaps the most important thing is to attract a partner.

Females become interested in these hills and valleys of sand and begin to carefully explore them in search of a male. And then the couple lays their eggs in the very middle of the "circle" - in the depression, which later serves as a "muffler" of ocean currents and protects their tender offspring.

Love and skill have made scientists wonder how little they know about puffer fish. For them it is a delicacy, but it turns out that the fish is a real artist, which should be protected, and not consumed as food.

What else do we know about this fish?

Poisonous puffer fish (dog-fish, puffer fish, dioodont or fahak) - the legend of Japanese cuisine - the object of horror, curiosity and admiration of foreigners. This is the most famous, expensive and dangerous dish in Japanese cuisine and is considered to be one of the oldest. Judging by the findings of archaeologists, even before our era, the Japanese ate poisonous puffer fish, apparently knowing that the poison is contained only in certain parts of its body.

The muscles, liver, caviar, milk, intestines, eyes and skin of fish contain nerve poison, which 25 times outperforms curare and 275 times more toxic than cyanides - tetrodotoxin. The lethal dose for humans is only 1 ml of tetrodotoxin. One fish has enough poison to kill 30-40 people. Moreover, there is still no effective antidote for fugu poisoning. By the way, the main components “ zombie powder "- dried and powdered puffer fish.

Meanwhile, in microscopic proportions, fugu poison is considered an excellent means of preventing age-related diseases and even, according to rumors, a cure for diseases of the prostate gland. Therefore, poisonous fugu fins (fried on a wire rack until charred) are dipped in sake for one to two minutes. This healing drink, individually dosed, is served before meals to customers who want to taste fugu. The anesthesiologist is the chef, who evaluates the complexion and health of each guest. They say that intoxication from such an infusion feels akin to a narcotic one: all the senses are sharpened, the ability to see, hear and touch much more than usual appears.

Butchering a blowfish is a filigree art. With quick blows of the knife, the chef separates the fins, cuts off the mouth apparatus and opens the belly of the puffer. Toxic parts are carefully removed from the abdomen. Fillets must be cut into thin pieces (no thicker than paper) and rinsed thoroughly under running water, removing the slightest traces of blood and poison.

Fugusashi (fugu sashimi) is a very special and very beautiful dish. Mother-of-pearl slices of raw fugu are stacked in petals on a round platter. Often the cook creates a picture from pieces of fish: a landscape, an image of a butterfly or a flying bird. The fish is eaten by dipping the slices into a mixture of ponzu (vinegar sauce), asatsuki (chopped chives), momiji-iroshi (grated daikon radish), and red pepper.

Fugu is also served as a "set meal". In this case, "fugusashi" is only the beginning of the meal. Besides it, "fugu-zosui" is served - a soup made from a broth of boiled puffer fish, rice and raw eggs, as well as lightly fried puffer fish. Pieces of puffer fish are served by the cook in a strictly defined order. They start from the back - the most delicious and least poisonous. Pieces are served in order of approaching the peritoneum. The closer to it, the stronger the poison. It is the chef's responsibility to keep an eye on the condition of the guests, not allowing them to eat a higher dose that is safe for them. Aerobatics in cooking puffer fish is to leave just as much poison as is necessary in order to cause a feeling of mild narcotic euphoria in eaters. Gourmets who have tasted fugu fish claim that as this dish is consumed, a paralyzing wave rolls over the eater: first, the legs are taken away, then the arms, then the jaws. Only the eyes retain the ability to move. However, after a moment everything comes to life in reverse order: the gift of speech returns, arms and legs begin to move. It is said that it is for this moment of "resurrection" that people take mortal risks.

Over eaten in Japan every year 1.5 thousand tons fugu. Pufferfish is cooked and served only in Japan. According to statistics collected from the 19th century, from 1886 to 1979. from fugu poison more than 12.5K person.

Pufferfish is cooked and served only in Japan. According to statistics collected from the 19th century, from 1886 to 1979. more than 12.5 thousand people suffered from fugu poison, more than half of whom (almost 7 thousand) died. True, it is not known whether the chefs were also included in the number of victims: after all, it is believed that the chef should make himself hara-kiri in the event of a client's death. However, it is argued that most of the poisonings were due to non-professionals (for example, among fishermen who decided to feast on a dangerous catch). In 1980, Japan's Ministry of Health introduced compulsory licensing for chefs who can butcher and serve fugu. Today, approximately 70,000 people in Japan have such diplomas. The number of victims among gourmets has decreased to two dozen a year, and only a few die from this dish. However, because fugu is a very expensive dish, it targets the rich and famous. Each such death is a loud scandal.

The most skilled chef is the owner of the restaurant in the city of Kishiwada in the prefecture. Osaka created unique museum dedicated to this amazing fish. Materials for him were sent from all over the country. In the museum, you can get a complete picture of how to avoid the danger of food poisoning with this very popular dish. Considering the educational mission completed, the owner wants to close his museum. But the main reason, most likely, is that after getting acquainted with the exhibits of the museum, people lose the desire to order this dish. Truly, "in much wisdom there is much sorrow; and he who multiplies knowledge, multiplies sorrow."

Not so long ago, extremely proud scientists announced that they had developed a non-poisonous puffer fish. It turns out the secret was the fish's natural diet. Fugu does not produce poison in its own body: it becomes toxic by eating poisonous sea stars and shellfish. If the puffer fish is put on a non-toxic diet from birth, the tetrodotoxin content in the fish will be zero. However, the expected sensation and flow of gratitude to scientific thought did not happen. After all, without its toxin, puffer fish becomes just another kind of fish - quite tasty, but not really anything special. The secret of fugu's popularity lies precisely in its toxicity, in the acute sense of risk that a person experiences while playing this gastronomic version of Russian roulette. It is not for nothing that it is in the spring (when puffer fish is considered the most poisonous) that gourmets pay the highest price for it - up to $ 700 per kg. The Japanese assure that "the one who eats fugu is a fool, but also the one who does not eat, too." To die of fugu poison is a death worthy by Japanese standards.

The rest of our revelations

February 23, 16:00

The Japanese love to walk through their Chinese neighbors that they are, they say, ready to eat any four-legged, if it is not a table, and everything with wings, if not an airplane. And if you look at what the Japanese themselves eat, they are not far from the Chinese. It is enough to remember the fugue. Fugu, however, lacks legs and wings, because it is a dogfish from the pufferfish or pufferfish family, but it is considered an excellent delicacy in Japan.

Fugu is the Japanese name for blowfish. This family of fish from the order of the common jaw has many names. Pufferfish, four-toothed, puffer-toothed, dog-fish ... Related families from the same order are named like this: box bodies, two-toothed (they are hedgehogs-fish) ... The puffer, which is found near the Hawaiian Islands, is known as the "death fish". His bile was used to lubricate the arrowheads: the poison brought certain death to the enemy.

According to archaeological finds, the inhabitants of the Japanese islands ate fugu long before our era, and, judging by the fact that the Land of the Rising Sun is still densely populated, the ancient Japanese knew the secret of cooking this fish.

A fugu is a small palm-sized fish that can swim with its tail forward. Instead of scales, she has thin elastic skin. A deadly poison - tetrodotoxin - is found in milk, caviar, on the genitals, skin and liver of fugu. This substance has a nerve effect. It is about 1200 times more dangerous than potassium cyanide.

The lethal dose for humans is only one milligram of tetrodotoxin. In one fish, this substance is enough to kill forty people. Moreover, there is still no effective antidote. In microscopic portions, fugu poison is used as a means of preventing age-related diseases and as a medicine for diseases of the prostate gland.

In blowfish, the fused jaw bones form four plates (hence one of the names), and the entire dental apparatus resembles a parrot's beak. The fish skin is provided with thorns.

Puffers are one of the most mysterious sea creatures. Perhaps these are the most poisonous fish in the oceans. Their most distinctive feature is the ability to inflate their body, turning it into a ball bristled with spines. Frightened or excited, the puffer takes water (or air - everything is the same) into the bags located in the abdominal cavity - the volume of the fish increases threefold - and remains "inflated" until the cause of stress disappears. The contents of the bags are held very firmly by the four-tooth and does not give up, even if it is pulled out onto land. An adult man can stand on a swollen puffer fish and will not think to release the water.

By the way, the strength of the puffer skin was noticed by the ancient Egyptians: after gutting the fish and stuffing it with algae, they used the resulting "ball" when playing balls. For this reason or for some other reason, the four-teeth were immortalized by the Egyptians. Images of dog-fish are found on the tombs of the 5th Dynasty - and this is a very deep story: the twenty-seventh century BC.

The largest specimens of blowfish reach a meter in length and weigh up to fourteen kilograms. Not much is known about the life of these fish underwater. Presumably, they are predators and use their beak as a weapon of war: tearing crabs to pieces, opening bivalve mollusks, breaking corals, attacking sea urchins and starfish. Using the abdominal sacs as a water jet, they carry out “stripping operations” at the bottom, looking for prey under a layer of sand. Pufferfish have been known to bite into wire and rusted fishhooks. Finally, the following fact was also recorded: in one of the restaurants in Tokyo, a fugu that got on the cutting table did not accept the sad fate and opened her finger to the chef.

Pufferfish have very mobile, iridescent eyes that shine green and blue. Some species are characterized by photochromia: the lenses of their eyes change transparency depending on the intensity of light.

The features of the four-teeth can be enumerated for a long time. For example, such a detail: under the eyes they have tiny tentacles with ... nostrils. These are indeed the organs of smell. Fish-dogs (this is perhaps the only motive that justifies this name) are able to distinguish smells in water in much the same way as bloodhound dogs distinguish them in the air.

Finally, another point that should not be missed when describing our heroes is their way of swimming. They do not swim, but walk in the water. That is why, when describing their habits, such a turn was used - "presumably - predators". It is not very clear how, with such a sluggishness, the four-teeth can attack fast-moving prey - for example, crabs.

Compared to most fish, the four-toothed body has very few bones. For example, the ribs and abdominal bones are absent at all - their role is played by powerful abdominal muscles. Flaccid fins have no radial bones. The four-teeth drift languidly in the thickness of the ocean waters, waving their dorsal and hind fins in waves. The two pectoral fins flutter slightly, keeping the fish on course. And the tail, which serves as the main mover for the overwhelming majority of marine life, performs only the function of a rudder in blowfish ...

Fugu veneration in Japan has developed into a true cult over the centuries. In one of the Tokyo parks, there is a monument to this fish. Near Osaka, there is a famous temple where a tombstone, specially carved in honor of the fugu, lies. Pufferfish are used to make lamps and candlesticks, and there are many workshops that specialize in making kites, depicting, of course, stylized fugu.

But the main meeting of a person with a fugu takes place in a restaurant. Here the gourmet literally entrusts his destiny to the hands of the cook. All chefs wishing to cook fugu must have a special license, and one cannot get one without a long - up to two years - internship as an apprentice and rigorous written and practical exams. Practice test looks like this. The candidate is given twenty minutes, during which he must cut the fugu and cook sashimi from it (this is the name of a raw fish dish, which is served with a spicy sauce of soy, horseradish and other spices). If the candidate makes at least one mistake, he will not get a license until the next exam, the term of which will be suitable only after two years.

Nevertheless, chefs sometimes make a mistake. And then things take a dramatic turn. According to statistics, every ten years in Japan, more than two hundred people die from fugu poisoning. True, the defenders of the national delicacy note, most of these people died at home - they themselves tried to cook a fugu, but did not cope with the task.

The complex art of making fugu requires the cook to perform thirty operations, and even the most experienced chefs take at least twenty minutes. Especially popular among gourmets is not puffer soup, but raw puffer meat - sashimi.

With quick blows "hocho" - a sharp and thin knife - the cook separates the fins, cuts off the oral apparatus and opens the belly of the puffer. Then he carefully removes the poisonous parts - the liver, ovaries, kidneys, eyes, removes the skin - it is no less poisonous - and begins to cut the fillets into the finest pieces. Next, all the meat must be thoroughly rinsed with running water to remove the slightest traces of blood and poison. And finally, the final stage comes. Having chopped the meat finely and finely - the plates should not be thicker than paper - the cook places translucent, matte, "diamond" fillet pieces on the dish, creating a picture. A picture in the literal sense of the word. It can be a landscape, or an image of a butterfly, or an image of a flying crane with spread wings and an extended neck. (The crane in Japan, by the way, is a symbol of longevity.)

Everyone ... Now, if you are interested, you can taste sashimi. This is how a daredevil non-Japanese describes the experience of a dinner at which he dared to taste the incomparable fugu meat.

“I thought I would commit a crime by destroying the 'picture' on my plate. But, encouraged by the restaurant owner, I grabbed one of the crane's diamond feathers with my chopsticks and dipped it in a seasoning mixed with soy sauce, radish and red pepper. Strange - I did not feel the danger, but with each sip, excitement grew inside me. Meat does not have a fibrous structure at all; it is most similar in consistency to gelatin. Very light taste. More chicken than fish, with only a faint hint that it is a product of the sea. Someone remarked with the utmost subtlety that the taste of fugu resembles Japanese painting: something subtle and elusive. And besides, very smooth, like Japanese silk ... "

The poison that is found in the various organs of the fugu is called tetrodotoxin. When dry, it is a white powder. Very little is obtained from one medium-sized puffer fish - only a few tens of milligrams. And yet this amount is enough to kill thirty people. By the way, why tetrodotoxin does not act on the piglet itself is also a mystery to scientists. In dissolved form, this substance serves as an anesthetic and is used as an analgesic for neuralgia, arthritis and rheumatism.

Of course, you need to use this tool with great care. The lethal dose for humans is one milligram. The antidote against tetrodotoxin is unknown ...

And yet, despite the threat to life, Japanese gourmets eat blowfish in such quantities that recently the problem of depletion of fugu populations has arisen. Moreover, this applies equally to all types of fish-dogs that go for food - the danger hung over both the tiger puffer (the most revered) and the mackerel ... More and more blowfish are bred in artificial conditions, the achievements of the mari culture have penetrated this area. And all why? To put new foodies at risk?

No, it is better to leave these questions unanswered. Let's not dive into the depths of national psychology. The inconsistency of the fugu cult has long been recorded in Japanese folklore. How many centuries the Japanese have been eating fugu at the risk of their lives - for as many centuries there is a saying: “Those who eat fugu soup are stupid people. But those who do not eat fugu soup are also stupid people. "

The most famous death from fugu happened in 1975. The legendary kabuki actor Mitsugoro Bando Eight, who was called the "living national treasure", died of paralysis after eating a fugu liver in a restaurant in Kyoto. This was his fourth attempt at a dangerous dish.

The main mystery of the fugu is why people take mortal risks. Fans of extreme cuisine claim that the taste of puffer fish is reminiscent of Japanese paintings on silk - something sophisticated, elusive and smooth. Kitaoji Rosannin, the creator of the delicious pottery, wrote: “The taste of this fish is incomparable. If you eat fugu three or four times, you become a slave to fugu. Everyone who refuses this dish for fear of dying deserves deep sympathy. " In addition to its incredible taste, fugu is believed to have a narcotic effect. Aerobatics when cooking blowfish is to leave just as much poison as is necessary in order to cause a feeling of mild euphoria in eaters. Gourmets who have tasted this fish claim that as the dish is consumed, a paralyzing wave rolls in: first, the legs are taken away, then the arms, then the jaws. Only the eyes retain the ability to move. However, after a moment everything comes to life: the gift of speech returns, arms and legs begin to move.

The bold blowfish can even eat a scorpion, a venomous centipede, or a small snake. If we consider all the stories and facts, then we can say that the puffer is more terrible than sharks. We can say that puffer puffers are marinehoney badgers are also dangerous and frostbitten in behavior.

Blowfish (Tetraodontidae) Agree, Japanese cuisine is very original. Europeans flatly refuse to even try a lot of it. Maybe that's right. For example, have you heard of puffer fish soup (the Japanese name for puffer fish)? This fish is eaten only in Japan. In other countries, fishermen throw puffer away immediately. Although the Japanese say that this fish is the most delicious and healthy of all existing on our planet. So why do most of them refuse to try it? The answer is simple. Puffers are the most poisonous fish. Its insides contain a substance that is 275 times more toxic than cyanide. If even the smallest particle of this poison enters the body, instant death will occur. Sixty percent of all cases of puffer poisoning in Japan end in death.

The person loses coordination of movements, the head works clearly, but the language does not obey: the person cannot speak. Then the paralysis of the entire locomotor apparatus sets in. And - like a tragic ending - respiratory arrest. All this in a matter of minutes. According to statistics, over the past ten years in Japan, more than two hundred people have died from fugu poisoning. One of the most notorious cases occurred in 1975, when a famous actor of the Japanese theater "Kabuki" died of paralysis a few minutes after a meal from a fugue in a restaurant.

What is this fish that brings death, but which the Japanese, in spite of everything, still reckon as the greatest delicacy? Fugu, puffers, four-teeth, puffers, dogfish are all the name of one fish. There is also a more telling name - the death fish, as the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands called it.

Perhaps this is one of the most mysterious and dangerous creatures among all the inhabitants of the oceans. Outside, the fish are protected by spines partially covering the body of a pointed shape. The thorns are very sharp and easily injured. But their main danger lies in the fact that these fish are very poisonous. The poison that is found in the various organs of the fugu is called tetrodotoxin. One blowfish contains only a few tens of milligrams. But even this amount is enough to kill almost thirty people. By the way, why the poison does not work on the blowfish itself is a mystery to scientists.

There are about 100 species of blowfish found in the seas and oceans. They are, in most cases, small, although there were specimens up to a meter in length. Puffers are believed to feed on a variety of bivalve molluscs, starfish, and hedgehogs. To gut a shell or a hedgehog, blowfish use a sharp and rather strong beak - these are teeth fused into strong pointed formations. Once, in a Japanese restaurant, a live fugu was served to the chef for cutting. Defending itself, the fish instantly grabbed the cook's finger. It was cut off like a sharp knife ...

Unlike most fish, blowfish have a good sense of smell. They have tiny tentacles with nostrils under their eyes. They are able to distinguish smells in water in much the same way as bloodhound dogs. That is why these fish are also called dog fish.

When frightened, the blowfish draws water or air into the bags located in the abdominal cavity. The fish at the same time increases threefold, or even four. Then the puffer becomes like a ball pierced with needles. The contents of the puffer bags hold very tightly and will not deflate even if dragged onto dry land. An adult can stand on a bloated puffer fish and won't give up.

In Japan, for centuries, eating fugu has been the gastronomic version of Russian roulette. After all, the ovaries, intestines and liver of the fugu are so poisonous that even if a tiny piece of them remains on the meat, a person can die within a few minutes. By eating fugu, the gourmet completely puts his life in the hands of the chef. There is less risk in the hands of a licensed “master fugu maker” chef, as he has been attending a special school for two years of training in puffer. But even after the cook passes a special exam, there is no guarantee that now all the fugu prepared by him will be completely safe.

And despite this, thousands of people still play with death every year, agreeing to taste fugu meat. Half of them die, but interest in the blowfish still continues. So it turns out that this fish is on the list of the most dangerous animals, because of the poison of which a large number of people die every year. But, in fact, this is not the fault of the fish. She does not attack, does not deliberately sting or bite. The person himself decides to taste its dangerous meat, completely not knowing for sure whether he will remain alive or not after he tastes this delicacy.

	Length: up to a meter Weight: up to 3 kg Habitat: found in the waters of the entire World Ocean.