How small is the blue-ringed octopus?
Does size really matter ? ...
Weighting 26g for about 10cm, the blue ring octopus can easily kill a horse with a drop of its venom!
Weighting 26g for about 10cm, the blue ring octopus can easily kill a horse with a drop of its venom!
Where can you find blue-ringed octopus?
Most often sighted in Australia, Indonesia, and the Indo-pacific Ocean, Solomon Islands, Philippines and Vanuatu the blue ring octopus is also regularly spotted on some well kept secret muck dives in Thailand !
These colourful octopus prefer to live in sandy/ mucky areas where they blend in perfectly. They are bottom dwellers not found in open water.
These colourful octopus prefer to live in sandy/ mucky areas where they blend in perfectly. They are bottom dwellers not found in open water.
Is the blue-ringed octopus dangerous?
This shy little octopus is among the deadliest animals on our planet!
That being said "small dogs tend to bite more than big dogs because they need to impress"...
And because the blue ring octopus doesn't have anything to prove... it is also not the attacking type.
This mighty little octopus is said to hold two types of venom in its saliva, both carry enough punch to kill 26 adults, within a few minutes.
The blue-ringed octopus is not agressive, they will not attack humans willingly and prefer to avoid them. A few bites happen every year globally on humans who stepped on one unknowingly, but surprisingly, there have been very few report ever of a deadly bite.
Only 3 death-by-blue-ring-octopus-bite have ever been reported, the other people who got bit experienced progressive muscular weakness leading to difficulty breathing/ swallowing. There is currently no antidote available for this venom however it is temporary and muscles will usually start working again after about 15 hours.
If you think a wetsuit can protect you, remember that octopus' beak is hard and sharp and can easily penetrate through a wetsuit... so please let them be!!!
That being said "small dogs tend to bite more than big dogs because they need to impress"...
And because the blue ring octopus doesn't have anything to prove... it is also not the attacking type.
This mighty little octopus is said to hold two types of venom in its saliva, both carry enough punch to kill 26 adults, within a few minutes.
The blue-ringed octopus is not agressive, they will not attack humans willingly and prefer to avoid them. A few bites happen every year globally on humans who stepped on one unknowingly, but surprisingly, there have been very few report ever of a deadly bite.
Only 3 death-by-blue-ring-octopus-bite have ever been reported, the other people who got bit experienced progressive muscular weakness leading to difficulty breathing/ swallowing. There is currently no antidote available for this venom however it is temporary and muscles will usually start working again after about 15 hours.
If you think a wetsuit can protect you, remember that octopus' beak is hard and sharp and can easily penetrate through a wetsuit... so please let them be!!!
What is the daily diet of a blue ringed octopus?
 | Like all other cephalopods, they love Live Seafood! Blue ring octopus are carnivorous, their favorite meal consists of small crabs, mollusks, other crustaceans. They usually wait until their venom paralyse their prey completely before eating them alive ! And what predators can eat blue ring octopus?While its soft tissues are extremely poisonous to humans, Murray eels seem immune to it and are the main predator for blue ring octopus but seals, dolphins and whales can also enjoy this exotic treat! |
What is there to say about Blue Ring octopus reproduction?
BRO can give birth to up to 100 tiny blue-ringed pup per litter. Just like other octopi, blue-ringed are semelparous creatures, which implies they give birth only once in their lifetime. After a female octopus lays a litter of eggs, she stops hunting to look over her eggs and dies of starvation before they even hatch. 😕😭
Something quite funny about their mating behaviour is that blue-ringed-octopus can't tell a male from a female before starting a sexual act. When two males start to "copulate" it lasts about 30 seconds and no "semen" is released, while when the couple is male-female it may last 160 minutes and spermatophores are exchange. Basically it means that before inserting his attribute (hectocotylus), the male cannot determine the sex of its partner...
Something quite funny about their mating behaviour is that blue-ringed-octopus can't tell a male from a female before starting a sexual act. When two males start to "copulate" it lasts about 30 seconds and no "semen" is released, while when the couple is male-female it may last 160 minutes and spermatophores are exchange. Basically it means that before inserting his attribute (hectocotylus), the male cannot determine the sex of its partner...
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How long do blue-ringed octopus live ?
Growing up from the size of your fingernail to the size of a chicken egg, the blue-ringed octopus only live about 2 years, this is the time it takes them to be sexually mature, find a mate and give birth to their first and last offsprings.
It is believed that Octopus are extremely intelligent creatures who could achieve so much more if they lived a little longer to learn from experience and if they could learn from their parents instead of starting alone from scratch...
It is believed that Octopus are extremely intelligent creatures who could achieve so much more if they lived a little longer to learn from experience and if they could learn from their parents instead of starting alone from scratch...
Blue-ringed octopus close up by Franck Fogarolo
Some other names for the blue-ringed...
Divers affectionally call him BRO but there are actually 4 kinds of blue-rigged octopus in the books:
Greater blue-ringed octopus - Hapalochlaena lunulata (who has the largest rings)
Lesser blue-ringed octopus - Hapalochlaena maculosa (aka Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus)
Hapalochochlaena fasciata and Hapalochochlaena nierstraszi.
Greater blue-ringed octopus - Hapalochlaena lunulata (who has the largest rings)
Lesser blue-ringed octopus - Hapalochlaena maculosa (aka Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus)
Hapalochochlaena fasciata and Hapalochochlaena nierstraszi.
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