The blue-ringed octopus can kill adults within minutes
A woman who visited Bali on holiday has shared a video on social media of the time she unknowingly held a highly venomous blue-ringed octopus.
The Tiktoker @kaylinmarie21 shared a video on the social platform of her holding the deadly small creature in her hands, unaware that the species of octopus could kill her within minutes.
The video begins with the title “Going to Bali and unknowingly holding one of the most dangerous animals.”
@kaylinmarie21Called my dad crying 3 hours later in Bali? ##blueringoctopus ##bali ##uluwatu ##fyp ##imdumb ##thanksjesuschrist ##ShowerWithMoxie ##EnvisionGreatness♬ Oh No Oh No Oh No No No – Dubskie
The holiday-maker was blissfully unaware that the blue-ringed octopus’ venom contains neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which can cause respiratory arrest resulting in death within minutes.
After a quick Google search, she discovered how dangerous the small creature was and that she had a lucky escape.
She found out online that, despite its deceptively small size, the blue-ringed octopus harbours enough venom to kill around 26 adults within minutes.
The creature’s small bites, which are painless and usually go unnoticed, are often discovered after it is too late to stop humans’ reactions to the bite.
Publishing their latest findings in a blog on the blue-ringed octopus, Ocean Conservancy said: “The venom blocks nerve signals throughout the body, causing muscle numbness. Other symptoms include nausea, vision loss or blindness, loss of senses and loss of motor skills.
“Ultimately, it will cause muscle paralysis—including the muscles needed for humans to breathe, leading to respiratory arrest. There is no known antidote, but victims can be saved if artificial respiration is started immediately.”
Fortunately for the Tiktok user @kaylinmarie, she was not harmed by the tiny but deadly creature.
However, it seems she was a little put back by the experience, as she captioned the viral Tiktok video: “Called my dad crying 3 hours later in Bali.”
