![]() ![]() A human victim may experience vision loss that extends into blindness, inhibited motor skills, loss of smell, touch, taste, or hearing, and an inability to swallow.ĬirclesOfLight/Flickr An octopus flaring blue after a human flipped over its rock.īut as Reddit user Delamoor described in a popular thread, the venom of a blue-ringed octopus is so debilitating to the human body that an emergency responder has to be cognizant of more than just the victims’ breathing.ĭelamoor recounted an anecdote from a teacher who had performed CPR on a blue-ringed octopus victim. Its venom will immediately cut off that person’s nerve signals, numb their muscles, and send them into complete paralysis. Like, for example, when a curious human picks a blue-ringed octopus up on the beach.įeeling threatened, the octopus will likely bite. Sometimes, however, the octopus uses its venom when it feels like it’s in danger. With its prey subdued, the blue-ringed octopus starts its feast. The poor crab or fish first goes numb and then is paralyzed. Then, the octopus secretes its venom into its victim’s bloodstream. Once the octopus identifies its prey - maybe crabs, shrimp, or fish - it cracks through its exoskeleton. Its neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin, is also found in pufferfish and is used by the octopus for hunting. Wikimedia Commons A blue-ringed octopus in West Papua, 2014.įor such a beautiful creature, the blue-ringed octopus is extremely deadly. Thus, the creature developed an impressive display system of iridescent rings, flexible arms, high sensory systems, and notable brain size. Without a protective shell, scientists think they likely needed a way to defend themselves. How did the blue-ringed octopus become so deadly? Like other mollusks, these octopuses have a soft and sack-like body. This substance - produced in the octopus’s salivary glands - is distributed all over its body, particularly along its arms and stomach. ( All breeds of octopus are venomous, but the blue-ringed variation is by far the most lethal.) Unlike other octopuses, however, the blue-ringed octopus can produce a fatal, paralyzing neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin. And like other octopuses, it has a tiny beak hidden away until mealtime. Like other octopuses, its eight arms have suction pads. ![]() Officially known as the Hapalochlaena maculosa and sometimes referred to as the blue-spotted octopus, the blue-ringed octopus is less than five inches in diameter, weighs a mere ounce, and has eight flexible arms at its disposal. Pixabay A blue-ringed octopus perching atop coral in Bali, Indonesia, 2016. ![]()
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