Blue-ring Photo

Gonodactylus · #1 07/06/2004, 03:57 PM

During my work in Northern Queensland a few months ago, I was able to photograph a couple of small blue-ringed octopus. This species has not been described, but hopefully it will be soon.

Roy

GoTRiCe19 · #2 07/08/2004, 08:31 PM

Very nice picture! Keep them coming. I see you are from Berkeley. Have you ran into William hung yet? hahah She bangs.

DrChristianTroy · #3 01/07/2006, 06:43 PM

Ã?nterresting creature and very nice picture

donta42 · #4 01/15/2006, 04:05 AM

how big was the one in that photo ?

Gonodactylus · #5 01/16/2006, 01:26 AM

About the size of the end of your thumb.

Roy

Ilia · #6 01/31/2006, 10:30 PM

I just saw a few at the wholesaler. I was very tempted to buy one when I saw it in person.

mickey85 · #7 02/01/2006, 12:20 AM

Dr Roy, were you diving with them? (I mean, obviously, but SCUBA diving, or otherwise?) Personally, I would freak out if I saw one of those while diving...

Gonodactylus · #8 02/01/2006, 12:32 AM

Fortunately, they are not aggressive, but you don't try to hold them in your hand. Most of the animals we catch come up in coral rubble and we don't see them until we break open the rubble - or at least let it sit for awhile dry.

Roy

kyliegirl · #9 02/21/2006, 05:03 AM

dude, you dont hold them, no matter what, blue ringed octopus are very lethal

some facts for ya

The bite of the blue-ringed octopus may be painless but it is definetly deadly. Its venom contains some maculotoxin which is more violent than any animals found on land. This poisen is 10,000 times more potent that cyanide. Upon being bitten, the victom's nerve conduction is stopped and paralysis sets in after a few minutes. Paralysis is then followed by death. Some symtoms are as follows:

*Nausea

*Blindness

*Loss of all other senses

If you do see someone get bit you should immediatly call 911, and then apply compresion to the wound as if it was a snake bite. Artificial respiration should also be started as soon as possible. The only way to survive is hours of heart massage and artificial respiration until the poisin has worked its way out of the system. There is no anit-venom to date.

more facts

Quick Facts

*
The blue rings are only visible when the Blue-ringed octopus is about to atack
*
It has a tiny, parrot like, beak that can bite through your wetsuit
*
The Blue-ringed octopus is only the size of a golf ball but still carries enough poisin to kill 26 humans in minutes
*
The poisin is not injected but comes from it's saliva
*
They are found in shallow coral and rock pools in Australia

Gonodactylus · #10 02/21/2006, 10:26 AM

I am not a medical professional, but I have been advised of the following. If a person is bitten, you should indeed call for emergency medical aid immediately and inform them that the person has been bitten by a blue-ringed octopus that has TTX as a major component to its venom. If you have oxygen, it would be preferable to use it when breathing becomes labored. At that point, you can start to "bag" the person. Mouth to mouth would be used only if you did not have an alternative. TTX normally does not effect the heart and chest compressions would only be used if the heart stopped. Starting compressions prior to cardiac failure could cause more harm than good.

Roy

blackangler · #11 02/22/2006, 12:02 AM

does anyone know the tank requirements for blue rings (just wondering not planning of getting one) like size, temp ect

arcticsunburn · #12 03/07/2006, 12:35 PM

im gonna assume no smaller than a 45gal (better off getting a 55+) and around 78deg f.

Gonodactylus · #13 03/07/2006, 12:41 PM

It depends on some extent to the species. If you are keeping a cold water species such as H. maculosa or H. fasciata, you will probably want a tank of at least 20 gal connected to a chiller to help maintian stable temperatures below 20 C. For H. lunulata, with a well run in tank you can get away with something in the 10-15 gal range with good filtration and regular partial water changes. It is important, however, to remove uneaten food, particularly crustacean cuticle.

Roy

gvardaman · #14 03/16/2006, 01:06 AM

That's a great picture - please post more!

As good as all octos are at escaping, I wouldn't consider having one of these in my home.
Their neurotoxin-laden saliva causes paralysis and the victim becomes unable to breathe. As I understand it, it is survivable if discovered right away and the patient put on a ventilator, but who wants to try that?!? It seems about the same as having a pet cobra to me.
Also, don't blue rings have a shorter lifespan than other octos?

I'm surprised that lately I have seen two blue rings and NO other octopi in my LFS'! I am cycling a new tank and will be after a ceph in a few of months - I hope it is a seasonal thing and they are available again!

_\(..)/_
../||\................

DHyslop · #15 03/16/2006, 11:23 AM

If you read the fine print for most shipping companies, particularly FedEx, they say they refuse to ship venomous creatures. Yet a number of online fish shops are happy to send you one. Be quite a lawsuit if a FedEx worker got bit. I think there's a tremendous amount of naivete on the part of any fish store that sells blue rings.

Dan

Paradox009 · #16 03/16/2006, 01:17 PM

A lot of naivete is true! My local fish store which is a SELF SERVE will often have these floating in a small tupperware with 1/4 inch holes drilled into it. THeres no signs whatsoever about thier venomous nature and they often slip out of the holes and enter the main tank!

Ive kept one of these in the past. Unsure of the exact species. I kept it in a 30 gallon years ago for about 6-7 months. It may have just been the individual, but I found it to be shyer then other species of octopus such as a bimac or vulgaris. I may try one again if I have room for another tank. I was always very careful with maintenance on the tank, but It never seemed threatening. A good tank design which allows for very minimum time required IN the tank is a good idea for these guys. I used a lot of flow with little or no dead spots, very thin sand bed and a big skimmer which kept everything clean. I also use a lot of barnch rocks, so they have places to hide, but allows you to easily locate them.

alien9168 · #17 03/21/2006, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mickey85
Dr Roy, were you diving with them? (I mean, obviously, but SCUBA diving, or otherwise?) Personally, I would freak out if I saw one of those while diving...

me too!!!

-alien

Gonodactylus · #18 03/21/2006, 11:15 PM

This is a fairly rare species found in Northern Queensland. The animals I have collected were all at depths of around 17 m. You can read about my first encounter with one at:

http://is.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/bluering1.html

When I get some time, I will update this article with new photographs.

Roy