64 UNDERWATER GUIDE TO MARINE LIFE 



dogfish; Bony fishes with strong teeth such as the toadfishes; Bony fishes 

 with fin spines such as catfishes; Bony fishes with opercular spines such 

 as the squirrel fishes and the angelfishes. 



This list covers almost all the species that can be dangerous to the diver. 

 However, judgment and common sense are the best guides for handling most 

 animals with spines, claws, or teeth. Many fishes have spiny gill rakers inside 

 their gills which can inflict cuts when handled. 



ENTANGLEMENT AND ABRASION 



In extensive beds of algae, particularly kelps, it is fairly easy to get dangerously 

 entangled in these long, tough plants. Several corals are very sharp and can 

 inflict cuts that are painful, liable to infection, and slow to heal. The reason 

 for the slow healing and extra pain of coral cuts is not known. Any cut that 

 bleeds freely should be attended to at once because of the danger of infection. 

 A diver, simply for safety's sake, should not remain in the water if bleeding 

 because of the danger of sharks. The diver must use his own judgment in this 

 area, staying away from kelp and branching coral or rocks in rough water. 



POISONOUS FLESH 



Almost all animals of the sea are good to eat, but the flesh of some can produce 

 results varying from an upset stomach to death. The maki-maki or "deadly 

 death" is a Polynesian species of puffer fish with extremely virulent flesh. 

 Fortunately, North America is relatively free of species with poisonous flesh. 

 The poisonous parts may either be the muscles or some other organ of the 

 viscera such as the liver, gall bladder, or reproductive organs. It is sometimes 

 rather difficult to trace down what organs of an animal are poisonous or under 

 what conditions a normally nonpoisonous species may become poisonous. For 

 instance, some species, such as the yellow-fin grouper, barracuda, and various 

 jacks among others, have poisoned people, but very little is known of the causes 

 responsible for this. It is suspected that these fish sometimes eat the flesh or 

 eggs of poisonous fishes. This is a subject about which very little is known. 

 Because more and more animals of the sea are being used for food, this subject 

 is becoming very important. 



Some well-known examples of poisonous animals: 



Many filter-feeding clams and oysters (they become poisonous in the warm 

 months due to accumulation of toxic plankton in their digestive tracts); 

 Six-oilled shark; Chimaera; Escolar; Some triggerfishes; Some filefishes; 

 Most puffers (Chapter 9— Plectognaths); All porcupine fishes and boxfishes. 



Active Dangers 



THE AGGRESSIVE SPECIES 



These are few in number, and each of these is considered in detail individually 

 in later chapters. All predators are aggressive for food and will attack only if 

 the diver falls into their feeding patterns, which usually he does not. Many of 

 these animals can be driven off by taking the psychological advantage and 

 swimming toward them (with the exception of the killer whale). 



