Would I be poisoned if I stepped on this puffer fish on a beach on Contadora Island in the Pacific Coast of the Central American country of Panama?

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Your post was removed as it violated rule #8: Responses to identification requests or questions must be an honest attempt at answering. This includes blatant misidentifications and overly-general/unhelpful identifications or answers.

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stargatedalek2@reddit

Pufferfish poison is only if you eat them, not in their spines like it is for lionfish. Which conversely means lionfish are safe to eat!

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SatanDarkofFabulous@reddit

Oh that's cool!

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stargatedalek2@reddit

You can even eat the lionfish toxin itself! It'll give you an upset stomach if its raw, but cook it and it's basically imperceptible.

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nygration@reddit

Fun fact: Heat denatures the protein of the lionfish venom! Cooking makes it not just 'imperceptible' but destroys the toxin. Similarly, Kitzer et al. (1985) found that soaking limbs affected by lionfish spine injuries in non-scalding water 40-45°C lead to 'complete symptomatic relief' in 80% of cases.

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stargatedalek2@reddit

I did not know that worked post injection. That is very good to know thank you. Hopefully I won't have to use it but you never know, everyone goofs up eventually.

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afoley947@reddit

Someone i knew did some brief research on them. They are pretty nutritious (similar EFA profile to atlantic stripped bass) and taste like grouper!

Plus, they're invasive in the Atlantic Ocean, so you can catch as many as you'd like.

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stargatedalek2@reddit

They're super easy to spear for too! Since they just kind of hunker up and assume they're invincible, but if your spike is longer than theirs they can't really do much.

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Taxus_Calyx@reddit

This is the difference between poisonous and venomous.

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mrzurkonandfriends@reddit

Poison is ingested. Venom is injected. I have no knowledge of this fish, but that is an important distinction in case you get some smart-ass comments.

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Rd3055@reddit (OP)

I see. Thanks for the explanation.

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mrzurkonandfriends@reddit

Not a problem, man. I hope you found the info you initially wanted.

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sarcastic_monkies@reddit

This animal will not release venom through its spines but is poisonous when ingested. I'm am not saying, however, that it won't hurt lol

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Rd3055@reddit (OP)

lol, I am already looking at beach shoes on Amazon.

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TechnicallyHankHill@reddit

This is a porcupinefish, not a pufferfish. The spines are modified scales, and they are not used for delivering poison. They still possess poison in their organs, and so eating them can poison [and probably kill] you [though some places can feature them as a delicacy if prepared right].

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Rd3055@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the information. I will never in a million years think of eating that fish, raw or cooked.

I will, however, invest in some sturdy beach shoes now.

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