Scary as a swimmer is bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus that contains enough venom to kill 20 humans
- A woman has been bitten by a deadly blue-ringed octopus
- He was gutted on Chinaman Beach in Mossman
- He was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition
A deadly blue-ringed octopus bitten a woman at a popular Sydney beach.
A 30-year-old woman was bitten twice on the stomach at Chinaman Beach in Mossman at around 2.45pm today.
He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Christian Holmes revealed the woman was bitten after picking up a shell with an octopus.
‘This woman was swimming and she picked up a conch shell. There was a small blue-ringed octopus in it, which fell out and bitten twice on its belly.’
A 30-year-old woman was bitten twice on the abdomen by a deadly blue-ringed octopus on Thursday.
‘A blue-ringed octopus bite is a rare call for us but they are extremely venomous.
‘The patient was experiencing some abdominal pain around the bite site, so paramedics applied pressure and a cold compress before taking him to hospital so he could be monitored and treated for further symptoms.’
A blue-ringed octopus bite contains enough venom to kill more than 20 humans, despite the marine creature being small and usually measuring about 8 cm in length.
The toxin, called tetrodotoxin, induces paralysis, slowing the body down to a point at which they will not be able to breathe and will not be able to get enough oxygen.
There is no antivenom for tetrodotoxin, victims of a bite are only able to expire the venom while on a ventilator until its effects wear off.
The woman was swimming at Chinaman Beach (pictured) in Mossman and found a shell with an octopus inside
While a serious threat, blue-ringed bites have caused only a few casualties as the creatures are more likely to hide in small crevices rather than attack.
Octopuses usually only bite when they feel threatened or are thrown out of their environment.
more to come.