Isle de Madelaine, Senegal July 24, 2007—
U.S. photographer Jeff Barbee gets "in touch" with nature while swimming with a pufferfish
in the waters off the Senegalese capital of Dakar.
Barbee is sailing halfway across the Atlantic, taking pictures and videos along the way to bring attention to imperiled species in Earth's most remote places.
Some species of pufferfish, or blowfish, are considered vulnerable due to pollution and habitat loss.
The fish defends itself against predators by expanding to several times its normal size.
The meat of the fish also contains a toxic substance, tetrodotoxin. One fish has enough of the substance to kill 30 adults—with no known antitode.
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Photograph by Finbarr OReilly/Reuters