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Deadly Beauty: Australia's Blue Ringed Octopus

by eslori Australia

Thousands of species of fish and other sea life abound in the Great Barrier Reef that spreads across the northern coast of Australia. The reef, composed of sea creatures from multi-colored fish to the living coral is the habitation of underwater animals and plants. No wonder scuba divers and snorkelers go over the top to marvel at this amazing environment. In the midst of this breathtaking beauty, however, the fiercely poisonous blue ringed octopus hides in the clear waters of the reef.

This octopus is tiny in size and has special glands producing two types of poison that is secreted into its saliva. On scenting danger, this dark yellow creature turns into vivid yellow with a blue ringed pattern and bites the aggressor, secreting venom into the bloodstream of the victim. This venom is extremely lethal - over 10000 times the potency of cyanide. The poison attacks the nervous system and paralysis the victim by stopping the conduction of nerves. Soon paralysis spreads over the entire body and eventually the heart and lungs stop working.

Divers usually are ignorant of the presence of this octopus in their vicinity due to its small size and often even do not feel its bite. The creature has a sharp, beak-like mouth capable of penetrating a wetsuit. The Australian Government has spared no efforts to educate and warn visitors of the dangers posed by the blue ringed octopus. Warning signs are placed over areas where the blue ringed octopus is known to inhabit, to caution the visitors to avoid contact with this creature.

The victim of the blue ringed octopus must seek medical help immediately. The trouble is that many times the victim does not feel the bite or any pain because of it. The symptoms to watch out for are nausea and loss of sensation. Then loss of eyesight indicates the beginning of the failure of organs. There is no antidote and the poison has to be thrown out of the body naturally. For this purpose the patient is put on a ventilator to help with the breathing and functioning of the heart when he is paralysed.

eslori Australia is the owner and operator of Explore Australia, Inc. Australia which is a premier resource for Australia information. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: www.exploreaustralia.com

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