In an act called “alarming stupidity” by one expert, a woman in Australia posted video on TikTok showing her scooping up a blue-ringed octopus, a highly venomous cephalopod whose bite can be fatal.
“There have been a handful of fatal encounters with these animals,” the Natural History Museum writes.
“TTX [tetrodotoxin] can take effect quickly, rapidly weakening and paralyzing muscles alongside a host of other potential side effects, such as vomiting and dizziness. While increasingly unable to move, TTX victims generally remain conscious and aware until a lack of oxygen renders them unconscious. Death is usually by respiratory failure, the diaphragm having become paralyzed. This can occur within a matter of minutes.
