Horror as swimmer is bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus that has venom strong enough to kill 20 humans
- A woman has been bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus
- Her stomach was bitten at Chinaman’s Beach in Mosman
A woman has been bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus at a popular beach in Sydney.
The woman, in her 30s, was bitten twice on the stomach at Chinaman’s Beach in Mosman at about 2.45pm today.
She was taken to Royal North Shore hospital in a stable condition.
A blue-ringed octopus bite has venom strong enough to kill over 20 humans despite the sea creature being small and usually measuring around 8cm in length.
A woman in her 30’s was bitten by a blue-ringed octopus at Chinaman’s Beach in Mosman
The venom, called tetrodotoxin, induces paralysis, slowing down the body to a point at which they will not be able to breathe and not get enough oxygen.
There is no antivenom for tetrodotoxin, with victims of a bite only able to outlast the toxin on a ventilator until its effects subside.
While there is a serious danger, there have only been a handful of confirmed casualties from a blue-ringed bite as the creatures are more likely to hide in small crevices instead of attack.
They only usually bite if they feel threatened or have been taken out of their environment.
More to come.
