Theoretically, a little more than one-half milligram of this venom - an amount that could fit on the head of a pin - is enough to kill an adult human.
All octopuses have some sort of venom to paralyze their victims, but the blue-ringed octopus bite may contain an extremely powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX), which can be up to 10,000 times more potent than cyanide and can paralyze a victim in minutes. Like all cephalopods, octopuses have strong beaks similar to those of parrots and parakeets.
Full recovery can be expected with timely professional medical intervention.
There have been only a handful of reported fatal cases. Cases outside of southern Japan, Australia and the western Indo-Pacific are generally due to deliberate handling of aquarium specimens. Blue-lined octopus ( Hapalochlaena fasciata)īlue-ringed octopus envenomations are very rare.Southern (or lesser) blue-ringed octopus ( Hapalochlaena maculosa).Greater blue-ringed octopus ( Hapalochlaena lunulata).There are three species of blue-ringed octopuses: The blue-ringed octopus is more active at night, spending most of the day hidden in its nest in shallow areas or tide pools. When calm or at rest, the animal may display an overall yellowish, grey or beige coloration without any visible blue rings. Their most distinctive feature is the blue iridescent rings that cover their yellow-colored body however, it is important to note that this feature is only displayed when the animal is disturbed, hunting or mating. The blue-ringed octopus hardly ever exceeds 8 inches (20 centimeters) in size. These small octopuses are the only cephalopods known to be dangerous to humans. The octopus swims by spewing water from its body, a type of jet propulsion.Blue-ringed octopuses are small, venomous octopuses that live in tropical tide pools from southern Japan to the coastal reefs of Australia and the western Indo-Pacific. In order to escape predators, an octopus can squirt black ink into the water, allowing the octopus to escape. The den protects the octopus from predators (like moray eels) and provides a place to lay eggs and care for them (a mother octopus doesn't eat during the entire 1 to 2 months she is caring for her eggs). It piles rocks to block the front of its den. Like other octopuses, it lives in dens, spaces under rocks, crevices on the sea floor, or holes it digs under large rocks. Protection: The Blue Ring Octopus also defends itself using its poisons. The poison is a neurotoxin (maculotoxin) that is strong enough to kill a human being. It hides in the reef, then catches prey with its arms, bites it with its tough beak, and kills it by delivering a poison in the saliva. Like all octopuses, if an arm is lost, it can be regenerated.ĭiet: The Blue Ring Octopus hunts during the day. It is only about 8 in (20 cm) with the tentacles spread wide. It has a life span of about 1 1/2 years.Īnatomy: The Blue Ring Octopus has distinctive blue rings on its body and on its eight arms. This small mollusk lives in warm, shallow reefs off the coast of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The Blue Ring Octopus, Hapalochlaena lunulata, is the most venomous octopus.
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