I just learned some pretty shocking news — today a friend told me about encountering a blue-ringed octopus in a seafood hotpot 🥘 Luckily, it was detected in time; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

What makes it so dangerous? First, the toxin of the blue-ringed octopus is unaffected by boiling water temperatures, so cooking doesn’t destroy it. Second, we often don’t know how to identify it. These blue-ringed octopuses belong to the genus Hapalochlaena, which includes four highly venomous species living around tidal pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Atlantic — from Japanese waters to Australia. On the outside, they have distinctive blue spots that help fishermen quickly recognize them, but when they’re among other seafood, it’s easy to overlook.

The terrifying part is that a single blue-ringed octopus can kill up to 26 people within minutes. It contains tetrodotoxin, histamine, tryptamine, octopamine, acetylcholine — a complex mixture of toxins that cause victims to experience nausea, respiratory failure, heart failure, paralysis ( and even blindness). Without prompt medical treatment, death can occur within minutes, usually due to suffocation from paralysis of the diaphragm.

The worst part is that there is currently no antidote for the blue-ringed octopus. Medical efforts can only support breathing and help patients survive the critical phase 😭 Everyone, be careful, especially when eating seafood!