#i didn't know all octopuses had venom - you learn something new every day :)

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I noticed you recently mentioned that an octopus may enjoy being handled, and as a marine biologist I think it’s worth mentioning that people should NOT handle an octopus in the wild. All of them have venom. I believe only two species are known to be deadly, but octopus venom is not well studied at all and you never know what kind of reaction you might have. Or the personality of a given octopus. I, knowing the risks, handled two Octopus rubescens individuals in the field. One was very sweet; she crawled into my hands and curled up and didn’t want to leave. The other crawled onto the back of my hand and bit me. I either had a very mild reaction to the venom or the individual spit very little. I had minor pain, minor swelling, and it took an entire month to heal all the way. Other people bitten by the same species have had severe pain and swelling, dizziness, vomiting, and necrosis of the wound. I would not handle one again. Now when I find one in the tidepools, I let it hang out in my net in the water to let anyone around see for educational purposes, and I offer up my hand to allow it to touch me if it wants, but would not let it crawl on me. Lovely, curious creatures, but it’s not worth the risk with the venom. You never know if you could have a severe reaction

Very important info here!

#ask #thank you #another reason not to handle wild animals #i didn't know all octopuses had venom - you learn something new every day :) #i think i mentioned squids in the post too... needless to say you absolutely should not try to interact with wild squids either #the fact that they can enjoy human interactions for emotional reasons doesn't mean they will enjoy interacting with a random human