All Puffed Up
()
About this ebook
"Puffers are a group of species I like to shoot, especially the larger varieties. They have a shy, but jovial personality. At least they always look like they are smiling. Sometimes they won’t turn around to face the camera, and sometimes they don’t seem to care. They are not exactly speed demons of the reef, so a little patience and the right positioning as you gauge their path can provide good opportunities to take that perpetual grin home in your camera.
On the reefs in the Keys, I see mostly sharpnose puffers. Balloon fish are also common. Porcupinefish, which can grow as large as two feet in length, are also a familiar sight.
Puffers are related to boxfish, and are also toxic, but in a different way. I found many references to two toxins, tetrodotoxin (TTX) and saxitoxin (STX), which are nerve agents. They are chemically distinct, but act on the nervous system similarly.
And of course we have all heard the stories of death-by-sashimi in Japan if the dish is not prepared correctly. TTX is listed as the second most poisonous vertebrate toxin after the golden poison frog. While trunkfish are notorious for emitting their protective toxin, puffers keep it bottled up until they are opened.
Based on what I found, it’s not the puffer itself, but the bacteria that it ingests that’s the poison. These two toxins are sourced from bacteria. STX is attributed more to shellfish than fin fish, but both are found in puffers under the right conditions. Other fish eat the same bacteria, but don’t accumulate the toxins. Also, water quality characteristics have a lot to do with the level of bacteria ingested by marine organisms.
I found an old article by a fellow in Indian River, Florida that called them “tasty toadies”. He used to eat them as a kid growing up around the water. As I poked around a bit more, I found an article that details toxic events and deaths from puffer fish from Indian River. Looks like somebody has a lot to be thankful for."
Tim Grollimund
Tim spent nearly a decade in Key Largo, Florida. He wrote the scuba diving column for the local newspaper, The Reporter, for over three years, and also served as a Working Group member and Alternate Representative on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. His ebooks are all based on his newspaper columns. Each ebook has a collection of underwater images shot by Tim. The ebooks cover a wide range of marine life species and ocean conservation topics.
Read more from Tim Grollimund
Small Wonders on Reefs and Wrecks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhoto Tour of the Philippines Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInvasive Orange Cup Coral Silently Grows off the Keys Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook for the Fish in a Box Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Brass Section of the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAngels on the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiving the Spiegel Grove... Wreck or Reef? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Less Traveled Reef: Going Deep Reveals Abundant and Unusual Sealife Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHogfish Heaven? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eagle Has Landed... or Not Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnook Recover After 2010 Cold Snap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuoy System Invented in the Florida Keys Helps Protect Reefs Everywhere Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGet The Reef Growing... Coral Restoration Is Coming To A Reef Near You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCleaning Stations: the Ultimate Hygiene System Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWherever You Go, There's No Place Like Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Whale of a Good Time (Maybe) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet's Wake Up an Eel and Go Hunting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSchooling Activity is Alive and Well on the South End of Molasses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYellow Stingray Population Declines in the Keys: What Does it Mean? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsButterflyfish: Graceful Reef Gliders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Hamlet Debate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Glassy Side of the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrasses: the Smartest Fish? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAquarius Habitat is Unique in the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDamselfish May Be More Aggressive Than You Think Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Goat Is a Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFile this Fish with the Shy Group Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoliath Grouper... Gentle Giants of the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to All Puffed Up
Related ebooks
Butterflyfish: Graceful Reef Gliders Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAngels on the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrasses: the Smartest Fish? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Goat Is a Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFile this Fish with the Shy Group Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpadefish Have to Dig Their Way Out of a Hole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDamselfish May Be More Aggressive Than You Think Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOh! Those Sweet Red Lips! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Whale of a Good Time (Maybe) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSchooling Activity is Alive and Well on the South End of Molasses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnook Recover After 2010 Cold Snap Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eagle Has Landed... or Not Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet's Wake Up an Eel and Go Hunting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoliath Grouper... Gentle Giants of the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Hamlet Debate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCleaning Stations: the Ultimate Hygiene System Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWherever You Go, There's No Place Like Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYellow Stingray Population Declines in the Keys: What Does it Mean? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Less Traveled Reef: Going Deep Reveals Abundant and Unusual Sealife Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAquarius Habitat is Unique in the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHogfish Heaven? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Glassy Side of the Reef Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Watery Self: Memoirs of a Marine Scientist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarc Morrone's Ask the Fish Keeper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiving the Spiegel Grove... Wreck or Reef? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Dolphin's Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Through the Fish's Eye: An Angler?s Guide to Gamefish Behavior, Gift Edition Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Fish and Fat Cats: A No-Nonsense Journey Through Our Dysfunctional Fishing Industry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBelow the Waves: Diving on the Hawaiian Reef: Old West Style Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Biology For You
Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy 101: From Muscles and Bones to Organs and Systems, Your Guide to How the Human Body Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dopamine Detox: Biohacking Your Way To Better Focus, Greater Happiness, and Peak Performance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peptide Protocols: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winner Effect: The Neuroscience of Success and Failure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5"Cause Unknown": The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths in 2021 & 2022 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Obesity Code: the bestselling guide to unlocking the secrets of weight loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Gov't Told Me: And the Better Future Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Crack In Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Letter to Liberals: Censorship and COVID: An Attack on Science and American Ideals Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Woman: An Intimate Geography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blood of Emmett Till Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Will Make You Smarter: 150 New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for All Puffed Up
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
All Puffed Up - Tim Grollimund
All Puffed Up
Tim Grollimund
Author: Tim Grollimund
Date Published: June 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-3707410-5-2
Publisher: Smashwords Edition
Copyright © Apex Global Solutions LLC 2017. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the prior and express written permission of the copyright holder. All inquiries via timgrollimund.com
Table of Contents
All Puffed Up
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Reporter
Puffers
About The Author
Other eBooks, Prints and Keepsakes
Articles I used to write this column
Acknowledgments
To Dad, who knew I loved the sea, and always encouraged me to pursue my passion.
Introduction
When I moved to the Florida Keys in 2009, I had one objective in mind. Simply, to become highly proficient as an underwater photographer. For the previous several years, I had