Dolphins Play Catch with a Pufferfish! | Spy In The Wild | BBC Earth

Off the coast of South Africa, more adolescents have reached that difficult age. At two years old, male bottlenose dolphins leave their mother's pod to form boisterous gangs looking for excitement. They like nothing better than surfing. Spy Turtle is here to see what they get up to. He in turn is joined by another spy creature. This is Spy Puffer, based on a fish that blows itself into a defensive puffball. The spy creatures are here to film these teenage tearaways. Spy Puffer faces a bumpy ride. Bust-ups are common. It's easy to get caught in the middle. Young males are so unruly the females kick them out of the family pod. This isn't Spy Puffer. It's a real puffer fish. The poor creature gets the same rough treatment. Perfect for a game of catch. But the dolphins are dicing with death. Puffer fish are one of the most poisonous fish in the ocean. They exude a powerful nerve poison called tetrodotoxin. It only takes a small amount to kill a human. Even so, the dolphins often look for puffer fish and love to chew on them. Taken in small doses, the secretions seem to have a narcotic effect. The dolphins are careful not to swallow them. Instead they hold them gently in their mouths. Despite the risks, passing the puffer has become a popular dolphin pastime. Luckily, the little fishes usually survive the strange experience.