lifeunderthewaves:Fun Deadly Facts: The blue-ringed octopus is only 12-20 cm (5-8 in), but have
lifeunderthewaves: Fun Deadly Facts: The blue-ringed octopus is only 12-20 cm (5-8 in), but have have venom deadly enough to kill a full grown man within only a few minutes. Their motion of exposure in saliva via painless bites leaving victims unaware of envenomication until respiratory depression sets in. They produce the most potent natural neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin (the same toxin as pufferfish and some dart frogs). For scale it is 10,000 times more powerful than cyanide or one bite being enough to kill 26 adult humans within minutes and what’s more it has no available anti-venom. Death will usually occur a couple minutes after exposure with the main cause of death being suffocation due to lack of oxygen to the brain via paralysis and then cardiac arrest from inhibited sodium channels. The side effects can be nausea, respiratory arrest, heart failure, partial or total blindness, severe and sometimes total paralysis. The paralysis will leave an affected individual completely conscious and aware and is usually painless. Although bite survival rates are low one could be cured through a medical ventilator by physically removing the toxin. Finally, bites are actually very rare considering that the blue-octopus is very docile and tolerant, nocturnal, and very quick to flee. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-ringed_octopus#Venom -- source link