Dolphins May Be Getting High Off Blowfish Because Nature Is Awesome

Dolphins getting faded by puffing on blowfish? Maybe so.

February 9, 2017

Forget about weed for a minute. Have you ever puffed on a blowfish? Well, don't. The tetrodotoxin will probably kill you. For thrill-seeking dolphins, however, tapping into the blowfish's toxin can reportedly induce the feel-goods.

Murdoch University researcher Krista Nicholson keeps a close eye on dolphins in the Peel-Harvey coastal waters of Mandurah, Western Australia and says "several records" exist of dolphins engaging with blowfish. WA Todayreports that in Australia, for example, scientists have observed "juveniles" mouthing blowfish. The 2014 BBC Documentary Dolphins: Spy in the Pod captured dolphins seemingly "chew on a blowie" before passing it around, an observation that surely has the potential for a weed pun but I can't think of anything.

Nicholson is the chief researcher for the Mandurah Dolphin Research Project, established in January 2016. The project "aims to gain a better understanding of bottlenose dolphins in the region," according to the Mandurah Mail. Huubster, a calf born last year, was recently observed playing with a blowfish for a full 10 minutes for unspecified reasons:

The alleged highness is achieved through small doses of the toxin, producing a "narcotic effect" for the dolphins. "Many do not agree with this interpretation, and consider the small amounts of tetrodotoxin only make the animal feel numb, not high," Nicholson noted Tuesday. "Also, dolphins not only interact with blowies but have also known to play with other creatures, like crabs even in the Peel-Harvey, and objects like seagrass, so it's possible their treatment of blowies is part of the same behavior."

Nicholson remains adamant, however, that observing this behavior is of interest to researchers and "certainly made for some fun pictures." Also, those dolphins do look kinda faded in that BBC clip? Idk.