Blue-ringed Octopus
Hapalochlaena lunulata · Mollusc
One of four small octopuses, 12 to 20 cm, of the tide pools and coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans from Japan to Australia, yellowish with blue and black rings that flash bright blue when the animal is threatened. Docile, it hides in crevices and empty shells and eats fish and crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp. Its bite is tiny and often painless, but its tetrodotoxin can kill within minutes by paralysing the breathing while the victim stays aware and unable to move; there is no antivenom, yet a victim given artificial respiration is often saved, and one who survives the first day usually recovers completely. At least eleven people have died of it.
- Danger
- Man-killer
- How it is met
- Alone, day and night
- Size
- Tiny
- In winter
- Active in winter
Where it lives
Sources
Open it in Biomes — MGS Toolbox