Tag: pufferfish

‘Pass the Puffer!’ Boaters encounter ‘very high’ dolphin

The dolphin appeared to have been in a trance, perhaps induced by a toxic substance found in pufferfish.

Tourists in Costa Rica this week encountered a dolphin that appeared to be in a trance or possibly ill.

The accompanying footage shows the boat slowly approaching the dolphin, which remained motionless with its head out of the water.

“Hello. What are you doing buddy?” the tour operator asks as the vessel inches closer. “Are you OK?”

Sierra Goodman of Divine Dolphin described the encounter via social media:

“Bottlenose dolphins will often spyhop, that is sticking their face out of the water to see around them. But this guy was in this position for several minutes with his eyes closed, and did not move until we were right next to him and I could have reached out and touched him.

“He was either deep in meditation, or, as dolphins are known to do, he sucked on a puffer fish, which produces hallucinogenic effects. Either way, we encountered a very high Dolphin! Pass the Puffer!”

Dolphins are known to play with and chew on pufferfish, which contain a toxic substance that is potentially deadly to other fish and marine mammals.

Four years ago, BBC Earth published a YouTube video showing dolphins “passing the puffer” and gently chewing the fish.

It was explained in the footage (posted above) that small doses of the toxin appear to have a narcotic effect on dolphins – enough so, apparently, to place the mammals into a deep trance.

Angler in Mexico lands mystery fish ‘with human teeth’

A couple in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this week caught a fish “with human teeth” and shared images and video via social media, requesting a species identification.

A couple in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this week caught a fish “with human teeth” and shared images and video via social media, requesting a species identification.

The man and woman are from Lithuania, explaining their accents in the footage. Ruta Gudo, who captured the imagery, posted to the Talk Baja Facebook page. (Click here to view the video clips.)

While reaching out and displaying the fish dangling on the line, the man asked, “Who knows what kind of fish is here?”

ALSO: Angler ties bait to rope, plays tug of war with large mako shark; video 

Several commenters were critical of the man for displaying the fish in such a manner, and not releasing the fish quickly enough. (The puffer was released, Gudo assured.)

Photo: Ruta Gudo

But at least one commenter identified the fish as a bullseye puffer.

Bullseye puffers are found in the Eastern Pacific from Baja California to Peru, and the Galápagos Islands. They have distinct markings and peculiar-looking front teeth.

Their flesh is poisonous and should not be consumed.

We’re not sure if the couple obtained a weight before releasing the puffer. The all-tackle world record for bullseye puffers stands at 2 pounds, 8 ounces. That fish was caught at Puerto Penasco, Mexico, in 2021.