Great barracudas are badass. They are six-feet long, armed with fang-like teeth, capable of lunging forward at 27 mph, and, I've just learned, able to poison you months after they've died.

When barracudas go hunting, they sometimes chow down on infected fish. A lot of marine toxins are harmless to fish, but they have strange and terrible effects on humans. Several tourists visiting Haiti have come down with ciguatera poisoning, a disease passed up the food chain by barracudas and other tropical fish.

Once contracted, ciguatera seriously messes with your head. Cold objects feel blazing hot. Hot ones feel freezing cold. Your toes and fingers tingle. Your tongue has trouble responding. You teeth feel like they'll fall out. Alcohol, coffee, and nuts exacerbate the pain. There is no cure. Freezing or boiling the barracuda before eating has no effect on the toxin. And the symptoms can take a year to subside.

So, what's scarier: Barracudas or the poison they carry?

It’s sorta like a video game: Get a power-up, learn new skills. In this case, killer barracuda levels up into a poisonous, super barracuda. (Credit: NOAA)