TikTok users were left horrified after footage of a tourist picking up one of the world’s most dangerous creatures went viral. Watch the clip below:
If you needed a reminder of the kinds of frightening creatures lurking beneath the ocean’s surface, then look no further.
A viral video, posted by TikTok user @kataphillah, shows them handling a blue-ringed octopus – one of the deadliest organisms living on the planet.
Advert
Don’t be fooled by its size, as this frightening creature contains enough venom to kill up to 26 humans in just minutes.
So, it seems the TikToker had a very lucky escape.
Horrified commenters shared their dread after stumbling across the video.
One wrote: “All Aussies just gulped and shook their heads.”
Another added: “Once in a lifetime experience.”
A third said: “Don't waste any more money on lottery tickets because you just used up 2x lifetimes of luck."
However, a fourth user wrote: “They’re not dangerous until the rings turn blue.”
It is true that blue-ringed octopuses show off their blue pigment when they are alarmed or attacked - but it's probably best to leave them be anyway, eh?
It appears the individual in the video really had no clue just how dangerous the creature was, as one person commented how ‘lucky’ they were, to which the original poster replied: “Yep. I didn’t know until half hour later what it was.”
And if you’re wondering just how deadly this little creature could be, then listen up.
Their bites are often painless because they're so small, but once the venom starts to set in, the victim's body becomes paralysed and they start to suffer respiratory depression aka their breathing slows dramatically.
So, the worst part about this is that while you're dying, you're completely conscious. You probably don't even have enough time to signal for help before the effects start to kick in.
To make matters even worse, there is no anti-venom available as of yet, so if this tourist did get bitten by the octopus they were handling then it could have proven fatal.
The victim would only be able to survive as long as they were hooked up to a breathing device - but those aren't just floating around everywhere.
Otherwise, someone would have the enormous physical task of breathing for the victim via mouth to mouth ventilation, which could take a while until the venom wore off and the person could inhale and exhale themselves.
Hopefully this will be a lesson to any tourists who happen to stumble across this deadly creature.
Abbi Murray