Little did a tourist know that an exotic trip to Indonesia could turn deadly. The woman barely made her way out of the clutches of death. Although posted on Monday, the video was shot three years ago, when the woman - an animal research student then - was studying in Bali. The video, which was shared on TikTok, depicting the scary experience has received over 5.5 million views. The caption read, "Going to Bali and unknowingly holding one of the most dangerous animals", adding: "Called my dad crying 3 hours later".
As per reports, the clip shows the tourist casually cupping her hands. It was only later that she came to know that the small and harmless looking brown octopus with dark blue speckles crawling between her palms, has enough venom to kill more than 20 humans. After posing for photos with the creature, she looked it up online to find out it was a blue-ringed octopus, one of the deadliest animals in the ocean. It's been reported, in the past, many unaware people have been bitten by the octopus and didn't realise it until it was too late.
Although the octopus grows to about four inches, it is one of the most venomous animals on Earth, alongside the box jellyfish and cone snail. Its toxin can induce breathing problems and paralysis within 10 minutes. Other symptoms include nausea, vision loss or blindness, muscle numbness, loss of senses and loss of motor skills.
The blue-ringed octopus doesn't attack unless it feels threatened. Whenever the creature feels threatened its sapphire rings will glow an iridescent blue, that's how it gets its name.
