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The Blue-Ringed Octopus—A Tiny Beauty With the Ocean's Most Powerful Poison

In the warm waters of Australia lives one of the most beautiful and dangerous creatures of the ocean - the blue-ringed octopus. It is very small: the size of a tennis ball, including all its tentacles. It is usually yellow-brown and inconspicuous among the sand and pebbles.

But when he gets scared or senses danger, 50-60 bright blue rings suddenly light up on his body. They glow as if someone turned on neon lights inside. And this is a warning: "Don't touch me. I'm dangerous.".

Each octopus of this species has a poison that is 1000 times stronger than cyanide. One bite is enough to stop the heart of an adult. And the poison in one small octopus is enough to kill 26 people. And the scariest thing: there is no cure for this poison. Only artificial respiration can save a person until the body neutralizes it itself.

But there is good news: this octopus never attacks first. It bites only when it is picked up or stepped on. In nature, it is quiet, cautious and very shy. Like almost all dangerous creatures, it prefers to remain unnoticed.

It has three hearts, blue blood, and nine brains—one large and eight small, one in each tentacle. Each tentacle can think for itself and decide what to do while the main brain is busy with another.

If you're ever swimming in Australia and see rings in the water that have suddenly turned blue, swim slowly away and don't touch them. In nature, beauty often equals caution.