A tourist filmed himself picking up a deadly blue-ringed octopus with his bare hands, and Australian locals said it was a bad idea.
“Such a beautiful octopus,” it said in Chinese.
The person then shakes off the octopus after they were done filming it.
The blue-ringed octopus is one of the deadliest animals and can kill a person within minutes with its venom.
Commenters were stunned by the tourist’s audacity.
“Do they even know how lucky they are to be alive after doing something that monumentally stupid?” one person said.
“This is how tourists become statistics,” another said.
Another added: “I am usually pretty calm, but this actually made my heart race. WHAT THE [expletive]. It’s like holding death in your hand!”
The Ocean Conservancy says the octopus’ “psychedelic coloring and pint-sized packaging make it seem more adorable than alarming. But don’t let its cuddly exterior fool you: this tiny octopus can kill you. And quickly.”
The mollusk is native to the Pacific Ocean and is found in shallow tide pools and coral reefs.
“When not seeking food or a mate, blue-ringed octopuses often hide in crevices, shells or marine debris. If you catch them outside of their cozy hiding spots, it’s easy to see how the animal gets its name: when threatened, bright blue rings appear all over its body as a warning signal to potential predators,” it says.
The venom is about 1,000 times more potent than cyanide and can kill 26 people in minutes, the website says.
“The venom is produced by symbiotic bacteria in the animal’s salivary glands and is more toxic than that of any land mammals. It’s primarily used when hunting: the octopus captures crabs, shrimp and small fish by pecking through its prey’s exoskeleton with its beak and inserting the venom. Then it will use its beak to pick off meat while its prey remains helplessly paralyzed. In the end, only the tough outer shell of its prey remains,” the website says.
It adds that the animal typically only bites people unless it is handled or cornered.
“In fact, there have been no known deaths from its bite since the 1960s. As long as you keep your hands to yourself, you should be fine,” the website says.
Earlier this year, a mother issued a public warning after her daughter picked up the deadly sea animal near Cronulla Beach in Sydney.
The mother said the girl found a shell with the octopus inside.
“I ran down to look and it was a blue-ringed octopus! She had been carrying it in her hands! (Luckily with the shell to protect her),” she wrote.
