No, I’m not putting a curse on you. Many readers will already be aware that the pufferfishes, among several other varieties of fish, are extremely poisonous when eaten by humans. This is because their bodies contain a deadly poison called tetrodotoxin. There are several dive sites around Madang at which you can usually find a large Fugu,  as they are called in Japan. This one is a Star Pufferfish (Arothron stellatus)  and its name is Elmer Fudd:

The Japanese eat these things. Since 1958 one must have a special license to prepare Fugu  for consumption. Apparently, the final exam for potential Fugu  chefs is to eat some of their own dish. If they survive, they pass.

Elmer will demonstrate patience for about thirty seconds, giving the photographer enough time for one or two shots such as the one above. When Elmer has had enough, he’ll turn around, scraping his belly on the sand:

And lumber away in a huff:

Bye-bye Elmer.

Here is a fish that you’ve seen here before. It’s the Reef Lizardfish (Synodus variegatus):Tomorrow we’ll be looking at some of the yummy coral at this spot on the South end of Leper Island.  For now, just savor the superb camoflage of this critter.

We’ll finish up with something decidedly non-fishy, a Tubeworm (Sabellastarte sanctijosephi):It’s worth clicking this shot to enlarge it. I had seen tubeworms for many years before I examined one closely and discovered the conplex organs in the centre. I’m not sure what it all does, but a tubeworm certainly could pass for an extraterrestrial organism.

Aliens in my front yard! Eeeek!

Related posts:

1. Pardon My Tubeworms When one hears the word "tubeworm" one might be forgiven for thinking of a particularly nasty tropical disease. The truth is that they are quite pretty....
2. More Canon G10 Underwater Goodness The great underwater hunt continues with the trusty Canon G10 at my side. How beautiful can something called a tube worm be? Find out here....
3. Nudibranchs, Solitary Coral and Whatnot A small menagerie of underwater critters for your amusement. ...
4. Nightmare From the Sea This sea cucumber looks so horrible that you'd think it could suck your face off. Sweet Dreams!...
5. Catching Up With the Fish Today I deliver a puzzle fish, a Napoleon Fish, a stubborn Lizardfish and her cousin, a nudibranch and the bathroom sink of The Coral Queen. Enough, already!...
6. The Angry Little Fish I've had bite me, defecate on me, pose for me, hide from me, stalk me, and so forth. However, I've never had a fish glare at me in naked anger....
7. I Bet That You Have Never Eaten One of These Things that are exceedingly unlikely to find their way to your dinner plate during the holiday season - unless you're coming to my house....

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 08:00 and is filed under Under the Sea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.