Coming to a Mediterranean beach near you this summer... the DEADLY pufferfish with razor-sharp teeth that carries the world's most lethal poison

By CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, TV CRITIC Published: 00:40, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 00:45, 16 July 2026 Tetrodotoxin is one of the most deadly poisons in the natural world. Lethal in far smaller amounts than cyanide, it kills by blocking the body's superhighways that transmit nerve signals. Cut off from the brain, muscles lose all movement, breathing stops and the victim suffocates. Sometimes the heart, too, is frozen. There is no antidote to this neurotoxin – the only slim hope a victim has of survival is artificial respiration. If oxygen can be pumped into the lungs for long enough, the poison will eventually be filtered out in urine through the kidneys, which takes up to 72 hours. It might sound like the invention of a mad scientist in a bestselling thriller... and both Bond creator Ian Fleming and Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton have employed this paralysing poison in their novels. But, in fact, it occurs naturally, in the liver of one type of fish. And, to the horror of fishermen and tourism authorities all along the Mediterranean, these fish are now infesting holiday hotspots from Spain and the French Riviera to Turkey and the Greek islands. One English–language newspaper in Crete calls it 'a full–blown summer nightmare'. 'Full–blown' is an apt term, because the culprit is one of the most vicious, and perhaps the ugliest, inhabitants of the seas: the silver–cheeked pufferfish, which is capable of puffing itself up to several times its usual size by gulping air into its elastic stomach. In the Latin terminology used by science, it is the Lagocephalus sceleratus, but most people use its highly descriptive nickname: the toadfish. These toadfish are not merely poisonous – so toxic, in fact, that marine biologists warn against touching them without gloves because the slightest contact with bare skin can result in sickness and respiratory problems – they also have razor–sharp teeth, protruding from a beak–like mouth, that can slice through human flesh and bone. The poisonous toadfish are now infesting holiday hotspots from Spain and the French Riviera to Turkey and the Greek islands Lichadonisia off the coast of the Greek mainland. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece has urged holidaymakers to take care when swimming near the toadfishes  Indeed, its bite is so strong that it can remove fingers and toes with a single snap. Children are frequently the victims. The Red Cross advises anyone attacked to wash the wound with fresh running water, apply a bandage to stem the bleeding and keep the limb raised. Tetanus shots as well as stitches are advised for deep wounds. Panic is being stoked by videos created by AI, which appear to show the fish biting through wood or chomping cola cans. The truth is, they can't do that. But toadfish are voracious in their pursuit of food. One real video, shared tens of thousands of times on social media, shows a pair of toadfish fighting over bait. As one of them is savaged and turns belly–up, more toadfish appear and start to tear chunks off its body. Cannibalism among fish is rare, but it is being reported frequently with these toxic toadfish in the Med, perhaps because their numbers have grown so rapidly. One theory is that they are being inadvertently 'trained' to eat each other by fishermen who throw dead ones back into the water. Matters aren't helped by the fact that they have no natural predators, and most of the larger indigenous fish have already been driven to the brink of extinction by overfishing and pollution. The toadfish's natural homes are the Indian and Pacific oceans. It was first sighted in the Med in 2003, arriving – it is thought – via the Suez Canal. This phenomenon is surprisingly common: scientists term it 'Lessepsian migration' and have documented around 300 to 350 species believed to have used this route. They include shellfish and molluscs, as well as larger creatures such as lionfish, trumpetfish and Red Sea mullets. Most invaders, though they disrupt the Mediterranean's fragile ecosystem, are comparatively harmless. But this toadfish is so dangerous, both to people and to entire economies, that the Greek government is now paying fishermen up to 5.33 euros per kilo (about £2 per lb) to catch them. The chemical compound for Tetrodotoxin. It is one of the most deadly poisons in the natural world. Lethal in far smaller amounts than cyanide, it kills by blocking the body's superhighways that transmit nerve signals Marine biologist Thekla Anastasiou weighs a silver-cheeked pufferfish Turkey's government has introduced a similar scheme, though fishermen from both countries report that payments have been unreliable. This toadfish is far too deadly to be edible, and there are no other uses for it. It can't even be dumped in landfill, because animals will dig it up and eat it – numerous cats and dogs in Turkey have died by eating the remains of toadfish dumped on beaches. The only safe option is to freeze the fish, then periodically incinerate large batches and bury the ashes. This might seem like a practical solution. So far, more than 100 tons of toadfish have been caught and handed in for destruction. But their population is expanding so fast that this is expected to have no meaningful impact. The scheme exists only as a last–ditch attempt to save fishing villages from economic collapse. When the toadfish first arrived in the Med, they subsisted on molluscs and other small prey. But then they discovered fishing nets. Their angled bite is well–suited to stealing fishermen's catches. 'Silver–cheeked toadfish use their four very strong fused teeth to cut through fishing lines or through the meshes of fishing nets,' Aylin Ulman, head of Mersea Marine Consulting, told the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JMSE). 'This depredation not only causes substantial economic losses, particularly to the small–scale fishing sector, but it is also contributing to an increase in the size of this poisonous fish.' Self–employed fishermen in Crete are losing up to 30 per cent of their annual income to the toadfish that raid their nets. Losses per vessel can be up to 20,000 euros a year, not just through lost catches but because of the high cost of repairing torn nets. 'It's got to the point where we might go out fishing one day and then spend the next three days fixing our nets,' said Cretan fisherman Giorgos Kyriakakis. According to the JMSE, the toadfish are likely to keep growing, thanks to these easy meals of energy–rich prey. Specimens up to 4ft long and weighing 20lb are now being reported – much bigger than those in their native waters around the equator. The Med is comparatively colder, which means they need less oxygen to maintain energy levels – or to grow even bigger. The Greek island of Evia (pictured) has installed a miles–long floating barrier to keep the toadfish out If the toadfish spells disaster for fishing communities, it is also an existential threat to the tourist industry.  The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece has urged holidaymakers to take care when swimming. 'To those who go to the sea or fish amateurishly this summer, we recommend calmness and caution,' it said. One Greek island is taking extreme measures to keep visitors safe. At Evia, a miles–long floating barrier has been installed to keep the toadfish out.  Anchored to the seabed, it also deters jellyfish, and is made of a rigid polymer that even a toadfish's fangs cannot rip apart. 'Thank God it's there to protect people,' local pensioner Pavlos Beleyiannis told reporters. 'There weren't such dangers in these seas when I was a child.'