Blue-Ringed Octopuses 4 Box Jellyfish 6 Brazilian Wandering Spiders 8 Deathstalker Scorpions 10 Faint-Banded Sea Snakes 12 Hooded Pitohuis 14 Inland Taipans 16 King Cobras 18 Poison Dart Frogs 20 Puffer Fish 22 Sea Anemones 24 Slow Lorises 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS
There are 10 kinds of blue-ringed octopuses and all are tiny The most common has a body approximately two inches 5 1 cm across That is the size of a golf ball When alarmed bright blue rings appear around its arms The tiny octopus is beautiful but its bite can kill One blue ringed octopus contains enough venom to kill 26 adult humans The venom can kill a person within minutes of being bit The blue-ringed octopus lives in tide pools and coral reefs along coasts in the Pacific and Indian Oceans Many live on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef The octopus uses its venom to defend against predators They bite if they feel threatened or if they are stepped on Blue ringed octopuses inject venom that paralyzes or makes the person or animal unable to move This can cause death because breathing stops Humans can survive a blue-ringed octopus bite if doctors use machines to help them breathe until the venom is gone The blue-ringed octopus releases a second toxin to hunt small crabs for food Both toxins are released in the HYGIENE AND ANTISEPTICS PREVENT INFECTION The blue-ringed octopus’s arms are approximately four inches 10 cm long BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUSES TINY BUT DEADLY 1 4
octopuses saliva No one knows for sure how they kill their food They may spit the toxin into the water or bite the crabs THINK ABOUT IT Explain the difference between poison toxins and venom Describe how a substance can fit in more than one of these groups Identify which group or groups the blue-ringed octopus produces POISONS TOXINS AND VENOMS Blue-ringed octopuses are one of many animals that can be deadly A poison is any chemical that can cause illness or death of an organism A toxin is a poison produced by a plant or animal Animals and people may ingest toxins through food or drink Toxins may also enter through the skin Venom is a toxin that enters the body through a bite or sting such as an octopus bite or bee sting 2 Number of venom glands used by a blue-ringed octopus Blue rings form on blue-ringed octopuses arms when they are alarmed They bite when threatened They inject venom that can paralyze and kill Blue-ringed octopuses live on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef The venom in blue ringed octopuses is stronger than any found in land animals 5
