A blue-ringed octopus is one of several species of small octopuses that display small, bright blue rings on their body when they are alarmed. They live in tide pools and shallow reefs. They like moderate-temperature water and are found in the tropics and temperate regions of the world. When they are at rest, they are gray or beige and their rings aren’t visible.
Blue-ringed octopuses are tiny. Their bodies are about the size of a golfball and their arms are 3 to 4 inches long. They hide in cracks and under rocks during the day. They eat small crabs, hermit crabs, and shrimp.
While blue-ringed octopuses have extremely toxic venom, they don’t make it themselves. They use bacteria they find in the ocean and store it in their salivary glands. The bacteria secrete a toxin called tetrodotoxin, or TTX. It then uses its beak to make a hole in its prey’s shell to spit the saliva in it. ?
The toxin in the saliva paralyzes the prey while the blue-ringed octopus eats it. The TTX that a blue-ringed octopus injects is so deadly that 1 milligram of it can kill a human. It’s one of the most potent toxins on earth, and there is no antidote.
Credit : WebMD
Picture Credit : Google
