Gizmodo:
A tourist in Australia has gone viral after posting a video of themselves holding a blue-ringed octopus. But it hasn’t gone viral just because the animal is beautiful. The blue-ringed octopus is one of the most venomous creatures in Australia and the unnamed tourist is lucky to be alive.
The venom of the blue-ringed octopus, which contains the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, causes paralysis and the sting is so small that most people have no idea that they’ve been poisoned until it’s too late. It carries enough venom to kill 26 full grown adults in a span of minutes.
I showed this video to my Australian wife when it first made the rounds and she said, “So, how long did it take to kill them?” Don’t mess with the wildlife in Australia.
Somewhere, Charles Darwin is crying silently.
Says it all, really. Saw this performed live, bought the album.
See, that’s why I’m not going to Oz. You can’t even pick up the octopi. I mean, I do that all the time here.
I was walking the dog down the park in suburban Sydney and a red belly black snake slithered across my path. It came out of nowhere and disappeared in a matter of seconds.
My first thought was, “That thing could kill me…”
Second thought was, “Where’s a good place for coffee?”.
I have since learnt that red bellies don’t kill but their bite is very bad.
Therefore my first thought should’ve been, “Where’s a good place for coffee?”
Welcome to Australia.