Backpackers risk lives after dangling a blue-ringed octopus over skin
‘They could have died so easily!’ Terrifying moment two backpackers risk their lives by dangling a blue-ringed octopus over their bare skin
- Two backpackers risked their lives by putting a blue-ringed octopus on their skin
- British backpacker Ross Saunders posted the video to his Facebook page
- He and another man filmed a video of themselves putting it on their bare skin
- Many people on social media said they found the life-threatening stunt ‘dumb’
This is the terrifying moment two backpackers risked their lives by hanging a deadly blue-ringed octopus over their bare skin.
Ross Saunders, from the United Kingdom, posted to Facebook bragging about how much he was loving Australia after spending an entire day on the water.
He also uploaded a video where he and another Irish backpacker are seen dangling the live blue-ringed octopus above their skin.
This is the terrifying moment two backpackers risked their lives by hanging a deadly blue-ringed octopus over their bare skin
They also put the venomous animal, which carries enough venom to kill 26 adult humans within minutes, on their bare skin.
‘Been an interesting two day introduction to fishing,’ the backpacker wrote on Facebook.
‘Watched two amazing sunsets, saw dolphins and caught a blue ringed octopus, one of the most dangerous animals in the world and didn’t even realise!’
Mr Saunders then joked about how fishing in Australia was a ‘lot different to back home’.
While both the backpackers found themselves highly entertaining, people on social media didn’t find the stunt as funny.
‘Wow, this guy could have died so easily,’ one person commented on the video.
Many called the backpackers ‘dumb’ for what they did and claimed they were all lucky to still be breathing.
They also put the venomous animal, which carries enough venom to kill 26 adult humans within minutes, on their bare skin
‘Enough venom to kill 26 people in minutes, a painless bite until breathing problems set in later,’ another person commented.
‘Can’t believe he put that on his arm. If it bites you, it paralysis you and you stop breathing within minutes,’ one person wrote.
According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the blue-ringed octopus have live bacteria in its tiny salivary gland which produce chemical tetrodoxin.
‘This is a strong, fast-acting toxin that paralyses the target by blocking the nerves from transmitting messages,’ the website reads.
‘This toxin can be fatal; it has known to have caused the deaths of at least three people.’
The paralysis that people get from the blue-ringed octopus is only to their voluntary muscles, but they remain completely conscious, however death occurs as a result of lack of oxygen.
Ross Saunders, from the United Kingdom, posted to Facebook bragging about how much he was loving Australia after spending an entire day on the water
If a victim receives mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, they often recover from the bite.
BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS BITES
• The blue-ringed octopus bite is highly poisonous to humans
• Most cases of bites are from a person picking up and handling the creature, or stepping on it
• Most bites cause minimal pain for the first 5-10 minutes
• The bite could cause excessive bleeding, nausea, vomiting, changes in vision and difficulty swallowing
• After 10 minutes, the victim may have difficulty breathing, become paralysed, and require artificial ventilation
• There is no anti-venom available for blue-ringed octopus bites
• In extreme cases, blue-ringed octopus bites can cause death from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest
Source: emedicinehealth
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