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Ever thought that having a venomous bite had a reason behind it, the Blue ringed octopus might just have one.
The fact that if you get bitten by this camouflaging creature could have you in hospital on a respirator doesn't seem to worry these poisonous creatures. Your liver will take over and shut down your body, causing a type of paralysis, "they contain a tetrotodotoxin which is 1,000 times more potent than cyanide. The poison used by voodoo priests to turn their victims into Zombies,"states Richard Vevers of Underwater Australia.
Ranging in size from as little as a 5c piece to a small ball these creatures will crawl into pipes and tubes, old bottles or rock pools. They will do anything they can to be camouflaged from predators such as turtles and the occasional spear fishermen.
"They are graceful swimmers and quite cute," says Jacinta Green, a Marine Science PhD undergrad at UNSW, " their poison eradicates in 5 to 6 days, but don't let that stop you doing ECC or External Cardiac Compressions as the tetrodotoxin which is envenomated into the body through their beak is so strong the body is tricked into thinking that it needs to be shut down to digest the poison by the Liver. "
When bitten, the body goes into Cardiac Arrest and ECC must not be stopped until signs of life are present, the morale being “DON'T STOP." Jacinta reminds us.
Blue Ring Octopus’s are, like all cephalopods, "Highly intelligent , have good eyesight and can change their cells much quicker than a chameleon through a chromatopphore cell." Chris Hosking from the Australian Museum says, "their electric blue colour acts as a warning, a flaring display to deter potential predators and reduces the need to physically defend itself."
– William Perry.
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