Poisonous Polar Bears

Is polar bear liver really the most poisonous substance on Earth?

No, but if for some reason you're tempted by "pate arctique", be advised that as little as a mouthful can cause abdominal pain, headache, nausea, dizziness, and a torpor that lasts for days. A couple of ounces can make your skin peel off or even kill you.

Westerners have known this since 1596, when the Dutch explorer Willem Barents and his party nearly perished after eating the stewed liver of an Alaskan "Ursus maritimus". The Eskimo have
known even longer. For centuries they've buried polar bear liver to keep their dogs from getting into it. But it wasn't until the 1940s that two British biochemists identified the toxic ingredient: vitamin A. Polar bears live atop a food chain that's extremely high in vitamin A, and they can tolerate levels that would kill most animals. The excess is stored in their liver.

Drinking alcohol, by the way, can intensify the effects of a vitamin A overdose. Keep this in mind: friends shouldn't let friends eat polar bear liver drunk.

h/t Troppi