![]() But the onset of symptoms can be rapid (within minutes) and so an equally rapid first-aid response is crucial. A severe case may lead to flaccid paralysis (weak or limp muscles), including respiratory paralysis and the inability to breathe.Ī tricky thing with blue-ringed octopus is that bites may be painless, so people can be unaware they have been bitten. The severity of symptoms depends on how much venom someone receives.Ī mild case of envenomation may result in tingling around the mouth and mild weakness. What to do if bitten, and symptoms to watch forĪll three blue-ringed octopus species in Australia have killed people, but cases are extremely rare. Please also keep pets and young children well away as ingestion could lead to poisoning.Ĭurious Kids: could octopuses evolve until they take over the world and travel to space? It’s best not to pick them up as they could be dying and stressed. ![]() This month also, many dead blue-ringed octopus were found on the beach after a mass death event of marine critters in South Australia. Shutterstockīe careful exploring rock pools, cracks or crevices, or picking up empty shells or bottles at the beach, where the octopus may make a home or den, or even when retrieving fishing gear, such as octopus pots or lobster pots.Ĭurious, young children may also be at risk of an encounter as they explore the beach environment – I know my own toddler would seek out the ideal octopus habitat if given a chance. Octopus populations may also undergo natural “boom and bust” cycles in response to fluctuations in temperature, food, and other factors in their environment, resulting in rapid increases and decreases in population numbers.Ī blue-ringed octopus in a shallow tide pool. Likewise, climate change could confer an advantage to some octopus species that can better adapt to warming waters.īut we simply do not know if this is the case for blue-ringed octopus. Hypothetically, some human-made habitats, such as breakwalls and lobster pots, or marine litter, such as bottles and cans, could be providing additional habitat for blue-ringed octopus. Octopus are short-lived – the blue-ringed octopus only lives for a few months – and are highly responsive to changing environmental conditions. For example, there are reports the common European octopus is proliferating in France right now. While we don’t have the long-term data to confirm this, the populations of some octopus species are increasing. The media often report spikes or record numbers in blue-ringed octopus sightings. Stelio Puccinelli/Unsplash, CC BY Are blue-ringed octopus proliferating? Tetrodotoxin is found in over 100 species, including pufferfish. The venom of blue-ringed octopus contains tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin claimed to be a thousand times more potent to humans than cyanide. There are also many scientifically “undescribed” species, which have yet to be named and officially added to the blue-ringed family. There are three official species in Australia, with a maximum size ranging from 12 to 22 centimetres, and they are all extremely venomous. These tiny marine animals are, in fact, found all around Australia, including Tasmania. It’s a common myth that blue-ringed octopus are found only in the tropics. Who would win in a fight between an octopus and a seabird? Two marine biologists place their bets ![]() Thankfully, everyone has been OK.īlue-ringed octopus are famed for being one of the most venomous animals on the planet, and the symptoms from a bite are the stuff of nightmares. As an octopus biologist, I get a call from the media every summer because someone has had an encounter with a blue-ringed octopus.
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