The
Greater Blue-ringed Octopus (
Hapalochlaena lunulata) is one of three (or perhaps four)
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
blue-ringed octopusThe blue-ringed octopuses are three octopus species that live in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia. Despite their small size and relatively docile nature, they are currently recognized as one of the world's most venomous animals...
es. Unlike its southern brethren, the
Blue-linedThe Blue-lined Octopus is one of 3 species of Blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found around intertidal rocky shores and coastal waters to a depth of 15 m between southern Queensland and southern New South Wales. Its mantle length can grow up to 45 mm...
and
Southern Blue-ringedThe Southern Blue-ringed Octopus is one of 3 species of blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found in tidal rock pools along the south coast of Australia. An adult can grow up to 20 centimeters long and on average weighs 26 grams....
octopusThe octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda. The octopus inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also be used to refer only to those creatures in the genus Octopus...
es that are found only in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n waters, the range of the Greater Blue-ringed Octopus spans the
tropicA tropic can refer to:In geography, either of two circles of latitude:*Tropic of Cancer, at 23° 26' 22" N*Tropic of Capricorn, at 23° 26' 22" S*Tropics, referring to the tropical regions of the world.*Tropic, Florida, a town in the United States...
al western
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. Greater Blue-ringed Octopuses can weigh between 10 and 100 grams, though the average is 55 g.
The Greater Blue-ringed Octopus mostly eats
crustaceanCrustaceans are a very large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles...
s such as
crabCrabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax.Crabs have a soft body covered with a hard shell. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and armed with a...
s and
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
.
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The
Greater Blue-ringed Octopus (
Hapalochlaena lunulata) is one of three (or perhaps four)
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
blue-ringed octopusThe blue-ringed octopuses are three octopus species that live in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia. Despite their small size and relatively docile nature, they are currently recognized as one of the world's most venomous animals...
es. Unlike its southern brethren, the
Blue-linedThe Blue-lined Octopus is one of 3 species of Blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found around intertidal rocky shores and coastal waters to a depth of 15 m between southern Queensland and southern New South Wales. Its mantle length can grow up to 45 mm...
and
Southern Blue-ringedThe Southern Blue-ringed Octopus is one of 3 species of blue-ringed octopuses. It is most commonly found in tidal rock pools along the south coast of Australia. An adult can grow up to 20 centimeters long and on average weighs 26 grams....
octopusThe octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda. The octopus inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also be used to refer only to those creatures in the genus Octopus...
es that are found only in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n waters, the range of the Greater Blue-ringed Octopus spans the
tropicA tropic can refer to:In geography, either of two circles of latitude:*Tropic of Cancer, at 23° 26' 22" N*Tropic of Capricorn, at 23° 26' 22" S*Tropics, referring to the tropical regions of the world.*Tropic, Florida, a town in the United States...
al western
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
. Greater Blue-ringed Octopuses can weigh between 10 and 100 grams, though the average is 55 g.
Prey
The Greater Blue-ringed Octopus mostly eats
crustaceanCrustaceans are a very large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles...
s such as
crabCrabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax.Crabs have a soft body covered with a hard shell. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and armed with a...
s and
shrimpShrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. It also eats
reefCoral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms, found in marine waters containing few nutrients. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate...
fish that stray too close. It injects them with a powerful
neurotoxinA neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels.Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
that easily paralyzes them. Then the octopus eats its prey.
Toxicity
Their venom, which includes a
neurotoxinA neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels.Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
known as
tetrodotoxinTetrodotoxin is a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote. There have been succesful tests of a possible antidote in mice, but further tests must be carried out to determine efficacy in humans...
, is produced by bacteria in the
salivary glandThe salivary glands in mammals are exocrine glands, glands with ducts, that produce saliva. They also secrete amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into glucose...
s.
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