Path followed:
1. Are there any external resources used?
Answer: No
2. Can the component maintain the same role in the mechanism/system once it is fixed?
Answer: Yes
3. Is there a foreign material in the mechanism/system?
Answer: Yes
4. Can the foreign material be removed?
Answer: No
14) Puffer fish, Tetraodontidae
Puffer fish can be found in warmer, tropical waters near reefs (“Puffer Fish”). To intimidate potential predators, they have the ability of expanding their entire body to make them look a lot bigger than they actually are. They also have sharp spikes on the surface of their skin that can release toxins. Finally, the puffer fish can get bit or eaten and release the toxin as well. The puffer fish does not generate its own toxin but sequesters the toxin by eating some bacteria that produce tetrodotoxin (Carroll, Sean B). As the puffer fish are eating more and more of the bacteria it gets stored in its tissue waiting to be used. The animal that is to get poked or eats the fish will get poisoned. Once in the body system the tetrodotoxin blocks the channels that allow adequate movement of sodium ions across membranes and nerves (Carroll, Sean B). Sodium helps control the movement of electrical currents through the body (Carroll, Sean B). If the currents are stopped then the body cannot respond to its daily activities. This in turn causes paralysis and if left untreated can lead to death.
“Puffer Fish.” Puffer Fish (Tetraodontidae). A-z Animals, 2013. Web. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http://a-z-animals.com/animals/puffer-fish/.
Carroll, Sean B. “Whatever DoesnÕt Kill Some Animals Can Make Them Deadly.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. Retrieved March 9, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/science/22creature.html?_r=0.
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