Tornos News — A giant silver-cheeked toadfish over half a meter in length was caught on Sunday in the port of Heraklion according to local sources.
According to fishingmania.gr, the silver-cheeked toadfish, which has inundated the eastern shores of Crete as well as other parts of Greece, is the second most toxic creature in the world. Its toxin is 1250 times stronger than cyanide and there is no known antidote.
In addition to posing a serious threat to the ecosystem, this extremely invasive fish species is very dangerous to man. More toxic than the cobra and deadlier than the scorpion, one silver-cheeked toadfish contains enough poison to kill 30 people.
Lagocephalus sceleratus known as the silver-cheeked toadfish, is a recent migrant into the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which it reached through the Suez Canal. It has been caught off the coasts of Israel, the south of Turkey, in Cyprus, the south coasts of mainland Greece, Crete and Rhodes.
In recent months there have been several reports of Lagocephalus fished in the waters of Crete.
Similar to other puffer fishes, the silver-cheeked toadfish is extremely poisonous if eaten because it contains tetrodotoxin in its ovaries and to a lesser extent its skin, muscles and liver, which protects it from voracious predators. It becomes toxic as it eats bacteria that contain the toxin. This deadly substance causes paralysis of voluntary muscles, which may cause its victims to stop breathing or induce heart failure. Fatal intoxications have been reported in Egypt and Israel.
