Andrew McConnell came across the blue-ringed octopus in the Philippines, not knowing it is one of the deadliest animals on the planet despite its small and cute appearance
An oblivious Brit tourist unknowingly had a brush with death after handling one of the most venomous animals in the world in a holiday video filmed at the beach.
Antiques Roadshow historian Andrew McConnell shared the moment he came across a blue-ringed octopus, even handling the animal, in a viral video shared to Instagram on December 11. The moment shocked many online who would have cringed in fear knowing how deadly the tiny octopus is and not to go anywhere near it.
“My close enounter with death,” Mr McConnell said. “Exploring the world alone, 11,000km from home, inevitably involves taking risks.”
The blue-ringed octopus is one of the most deadly in the world (Image: @decanterman/Instagram)READ MORE: Scientists drop cow carcass 1,600 metres into ocean and are floored by what appearsREAD MORE: Incredible but little-known Greek island that’s actually closer to Turkey
“But nothing as extreme as my apparent brush with death yesterday, which was both inadvertent and to which I was entirely oblivious until I posted about it.”
Mr Connell said he had been walking around a beach in the Philippines when he came across a number of children holding an octopus in a seashell. “They explained that they had caught a ‘baby octopus’ that they were passing it between themselves & releasing it into a rock pool,” he said.
Mr McConnell said he had a close encounter with death(Image: @decanterman/Instagram)
“I filmed myself copying their actions before returning it to its finder, who then placed it into its temporary home, a sea urchin shell. Turns out that it was a blue-ringed octopus, instantly recognisable to Aussies & others as the world’s first / second / third most venomous animal.”
After his encounter went viral, he shared an update on his social media saying that he “undertook some important social duties” on the way back from his “morning beach route march”. Writing on Facebook, he said: “The kids who had found & played with the world’s most venomous beast clearly had no more idea as to its dangers than me.
“So I stopped in to talk to the head teacher at the local elementary school. She confirmed that all those involved were her pupils & agreed to target them with some sort of specific education about the dangers of unfamiliar sea creatures. Lastly I showed the captain of the local coast guard what had happened. He instantly recognised the blue-ring & promised a campaign [to] alert the local population as to its hazards.”
People were stunned when they saw the octopus being handled (Image: @decanterman/Instagram)
Many people shared their shock in the comment section. One said: “OMG! I once found a dead one on the beach and even that terrified me!”
Another added: “Oof, glad you’re okay mate! As a rule it’s a good idea to not handle any animal, especially marine ones.” With a third posting: “OMG. Sooo lucky. Great to see you still here I think many of us were very concerned.”
The blue ringed octopus are tiny animals that are not a single species but rather a genus. But what the small octopus lacks in size it makes up for in venom.
The Australian Institute of Marine Science said: “Within its salivary glands live bacteria, which produce the chemical tetrodotoxin. This is a strong, fast-acting toxin that paralyses the target by blocking the nerves from transmitting messages. This toxin can be fatal; it has known to have caused the deaths of at least three people.”
It comes after Mc Connell shared a video explaining how he had been speared by a catfish on the same beach.
