This form of blowfish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in its inner organs – especially its liver, ovaries, eyes and skin.

The poison is a sodium channel blocker, which paralyses the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious.

Unable to breathe, the victim of the fugu eventually dies from asphyxiation.

Fortunately, the preparation of fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan and other countries, meaning only highly qualified chefs with at least three years of training are allowed to prepare the fish using a special knife called the fugu hiki, which is stored separately from other knives.