The puffer fish has a short and thick body. Pufferfish have small hair-like spines. Tough and thick puffer fish skin was once used to make helmets. The upper and lower teeth of puffer fish are connected together like sharp blades. This makes it easy for puffer fish to crush hard coral shells. Most puffer fish are tropical marine fish, and only a few species live in fresh water. Once the puffer fish is threatened, it will swallow water or air to expand its body into a spiny ball, making it difficult for natural enemies to shut up. The viscera of many puffer fish contains a neurotoxin that can kill people. Someone has tested the toxicity of tetrodotoxin. Its toxicity is equivalent to 1250 times of the highly toxic drug sodium cyanide, and only 0.48 mg can cause death. In fact, the muscles of puffer fish are toxin-free. The most poisonous parts of puffer fish are ovary and liver, followed by kidney, blood, eyes, gills and skin. The toxicity of puffer fish is also related to its reproductive cycle. The puffer fish with eggs is the most toxic in late spring and early summer. This toxin can make people nervous paralysis, vomiting, cold limbs, and then stop heartbeat and breathing. There are reports of eating puffer fish and dying at home and abroad. Although it is risky to taste puffer fish, it is very delicious because it tastes good. So there are still many gluttons who desperately eat puffer fish. The most popular country to eat puffer fish in the world is Japan. There are puffer fish restaurants in major cities in Japan. Chefs must undergo strict professional training. In the graduation exam, the chef will eat his own puffer fish. So some people who are not very skilled are afraid to take the exam and run. Pufferfish swim very slowly. This is because most fish usually have swimming muscles in the back half of their bodies. The puffer fish must paddle with its dorsal fin and caudal fin swinging from side to side. The teeth of puffer fish are very similar to those of spiny dolphins. The teeth of puffer fish fuse into a beak. Stork teeth are used to crush mollusks and corals. The puffer fish will swallow the living parts of these creatures together with marine creatures such as crabs, worms and barnacles.

The toxic component of puffer fish is tetrodotoxin, which is a neurotoxin. People can die if they eat 0.5 mg -3 mg of dolphin poison. The liver, spleen, kidney, ovary, testis, eyeball, skin and blood of puffer fish are all toxic. Eggs, ovaries and liver are the most toxic, followed by kidneys, blood, eyes and skin. The toxin is heat-resistant, and cannot be destroyed at 100℃ for 8 hours, but only at 120℃ 1 hour, nor can it be destroyed by salting or sun exposure.

Spring is the spawning season of puffer fish every year. At this time, the fish is most toxic, so spring is the high incidence season of puffer fish poisoning. China's "Measures for Hygienic Management of Aquatic Products" clearly stipulates: "Pufferfish is highly toxic and may not enter the market. Captured toxic fish, such as puffer fish, should be selected, boxed and stored specially. Therefore, puffer fish is not suitable for eating. Only a few people eat puffer fish desperately, but most people are poisoned because they don't know puffer fish and accidentally eat it.

■ How to identify and identify puffer fish?

To prevent puffer fish poisoning, we must first realize that puffer fish is poisonous and recognize its shape to prevent poisoning due to eating. The puffer fish is long and round, with a square and flat head, and some have beautiful stripes; The others are not striped, but a black fish. It is also described that the puffer fish is rhombic in shape, with sunken eyes and half exposed teeth, and the upper and lower teeth are shaped like human teeth. The gills are small and inconspicuous, the abdomen is yellow and white, and there are small white thorns on the back and abdomen. The fish is smooth and scaleless, black and yellow.

■ What are the symptoms of puffer fish poisoning?

The main symptoms of puffer fish poisoning are nervous system symptoms. The incubation period is very short, as short as 10-30 minutes and as long as 3-6 hours. The onset is acute and fierce. At first, fingers, lips and the tip of the tongue were numb or tingling, and then nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, numbness and weakness of limbs, trembling all over and difficulty walking. In severe cases, the whole body was paralyzed, with language disorder, dyspnea, decreased blood pressure and coma. In the end, most severely poisoned people died of respiratory failure. If the rescue is not timely, he will die within 10 minutes at the earliest and 4-6 hours at the latest. It is reported that the death rate of puffer fish poisoning in Japan is 6 1.5%.

■ What should I do if I accidentally eat puffer fish poisoning?

At present, there is no specific antidote for puffer fish poisoning. After poisoning, the patient should be sent to the hospital for rescue, detoxification as soon as possible, and symptomatic treatment. The most effective way to prevent poisoning is to strictly investigate by the management department, prohibit the retail of puffer fish, and if found, concentrate puffer fish for proper treatment.

The puffer fish that needs to be processed and eaten due to special circumstances should be processed in places where conditions permit. Before processing, toxic parts such as internal organs, skins and heads must be removed, muscles and blood stains must be washed repeatedly, and treated with 2% sodium bicarbonate for 24 hours. It can only be sold after inspection and appraisal, and its processing waste should be destroyed.

Of course, in order to prevent accidents, people should not take chances and eat puffer fish for the sake of greedy taste enjoyment.

Of course, if puffer fish can be cooked for a long time, its toxicity can also be ineffective.