Experts say the blue-ringed octopus group usually leave humans alone unless they are provoked in some way. Here's how to avoid an attack, and what to do if you're bitten.
Paramedics are reminding people not to pick up the deadly creature.Paramedics are reminding people not to pick up the deadly blue-ringed octopus after a woman survived a rare bite in Sydney this week.
Initially, its bite is painless. But quickly the fast-acting toxin goes to work, paralysing its target.Doctor Amanda Reid is a taxonomist and former employee of the Australian Museum in Sydney."They're not different to any other octopuses. Where they do differ is that they've got a very powerful poison called tetrodotoxin poison which means that they've got a very fatal bite," Dr Reid said.
Mr Holmes says there is no anti-venom for this rare octopus bite and if treatment is not quickly administered, death is extremely likely. If it's on a limb, paramedics recommend doing a compression bandage. That involves wrapping a whole limb up with a very firm bandage until the patient can get further urgent medical treatment.
Blue-ringed octopuses are tropical and temperate creatures. They are native to Australia and also found throughout the Indo-West Pacific."They hide in rock crevices, in empty shells, and other places that they can find to secrete themselves away. They feed on fish and crustaceans. And they're quite secretive," she said.
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