Rare deadly pufferfish washes up on Dorset beach

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 14:36 · Archive

A poisonous pufferfish has washed up dead on a beach in Dorset, believed blown off course by storms.

A poisonous pufferfish has washed up dead on Knoll Beach in Studland, Dorset. The fish was discovered by Owen Booty from Freedive Life, who initially thought he had found a plastic bag or buoy on the sand. The extremely rare find was about 17 inches long and appeared to have been blown hundreds of miles off course by Storms Austen and Boalo that battered the UK.

Pufferfish are usually found in warmer parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, making their appearance on a Dorset beach highly unusual. The Dorset Wildlife Trust confirmed the identification. According to the Trust, these fish do turn up occasionally in UK waters but are a rare sight. They get their name from their defensive mechanism of inflating to balloon size when threatened.

Even dead, pufferfish remain dangerous. Their natural toxins, which remain in their organs and skin for an extended period, are said to be 1,000 times more lethal than cyanide. The toxins can be fatal if the fish's hidden spines pierce skin and the poison enters the bloodstream. The Dorset Wildlife Trust has advised members of the public not to handle any pufferfish they encounter and to report findings to the charity instead.

How it is being reported

• Rare deadly pufferfish washes up on UK beachThe pufferfish was miles from home (Picture: Freedive Life/BNPS) A deadly exotic pufferfish has washed up on a south coast beach, hundreds of miles from its usual home. The poisonous fish was found by a local diver on the sand at Knoll Beach in Studland, Dorset . Owen Booty, from Freedive Life…Metro · 2 Nov, 14:13
• Warning as rare deadly pufferfish washes up on Dorset beachThe fish is believed to have been blown here in stormsThe Independent · 1 Nov, 14:32

In this story: Owen Booty · Dorset Wildlife Trust · Knoll Beach · Studland · Dorset

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