This golf ball of a octopus will kill you

Don’t let the bright blue markings of this miniscule octopus – about the size of a golf ball – fool you into thinking it carries with its markings an innocent cuteness. The blue-ringed octopus is carries with it a deadly venom lethal to humans.

First you will feel nauseous. Your vision becomes hazy. Within seconds you are blind. You loose your sense of touch. You cannot speak or swallow. Three minutes later you are paralysed and unable to breath.

You knew that the blue-ringed octopus is extremely poisonous but how were you to know that this was one when its tiny parrot-like beak bit through your wetsuit. The last thing the victim sees are the blue rings – visible only when it is about to attack.

And to think, I thought having one of these would look cool in a home aquarium. Nix that idea, I’d probably be flopping on the floor after trying to clean the tank. Although not directly related, the following video of an octopus grabbing a shark for dinner may be of interest.