Puffer fish- a species of the Tetraodontidae family that has the ability to inflate themselves with water or air, which increases body size several times over. Also, many species contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin.
Tetrodotoxin (TTX)- a potent neurotoxin that blocks fast, voltage-gated sodium channels in verve cells, blocking the transmission of impulses[5]. There is no known antidote for this toxin, which gets its name from the Tetraodontiformes[17] order (which contains puffer fish). It is one of the most fatal neurotoxins known to man[8].
A diagram of the tetrodotoxin molecule. The portion labled “Guanidium” represents the portion of the molecule that bonds to (and blocks) the sodium channel. Image courtesy of 13.
Neurotoxin- a toxin that targets some component of the nervous system, often by interfering with ion channels used to propagate action potentials.
Clutch- the number of eggs laid by an animal at one time
LD50 (lethal dose for 50%)- the amount of a substance it takes for half of the population to die, when exposed to something, and is usually expressed as a ration of weight of the substance per weight of the victim. The LD50 also depends of how the substance was administered. For human orally ingested tetrodotoxin, the LD50 is 334 µg/kg.
