A woman in Virginia is lucky to be alive after unknowingly picking up and playing with an octopus that could have killed her with just one single bite.
Kaylin Phillips had no idea the beautiful creature she and her friends were passing around on a beach in Bali was a venomous blue-ringed octopus, one of the deadliest animals on the planet. When she posted a picture on her Instagram story, several people responded telling her what it was. She looked it up online and discovered the animal has enough venom to kill up to 26 human adults in just a few minutes.
In the video, Kaylin picks the octopus up and is passing it from hand to hand. A friend of hers suggests ‘let’s eat it’ to which she responds ‘No, don’t say that.’
She posted the picture to her instagram story and she got a couple comments like ‘hey, do you know this is the blue ringed octopus?’ Right over her head. She had no idea. ‘You just had held this creature that could have killed all three of us, but apparently if there were 26 of us all of us would have been gone.
Some experts say that their poison is 1,000 times more potent than cyanide. The craziest part?
You cannot feel their bite at all, so you wouldn’t know it bit you until it’s too late.
If you’re bitten there’s no immediate sign until you basically drop dead. They have a neurotoxin venom that will paralyze you, and essentially what it does is it shuts down your lungs from breathing.
Kaylin says her near death experience taught her a lesson, and that lesson is ‘Just don’t pick up everything you see.’
If you’re traveling to Bali or this area of the world where this creature may be. Keep your eyes peeled for an octopus that is orange or blue (depending on it’s defense mode) and avoid touching it at all costs if you do see it. Keep in mind that when traveling to new parts of the world they have venomous snakes, spiders and other creatures that your home in the US may not have especially if you live in the north. Keep your distance and don’t go picking up creatures you’re not able to identify.
Here’s a video sharing a bit more information about the Blue ringed octopus if you do get bit by one and protocols to take if you do get near one along with what actions to take immediately following the bite:
