Ross Saunders said it took some convincing for him to believe the octopus was dangerous. Photo / 7 News
Ross Saunders said it took some convincing for him to believe the octopus was dangerous. Photo / 7 News
Two British tourists have shocked Aussies with a video of themselves playing with a deadly blue-ringed octopus, which one man repeatedly places on his mate's forearm, reports news.com.au.
The backpackers, from Exeter, in the UK, told 7 News Brisbane they were fishing in Burnett Heads in Bundaberg, Queensland, on Friday when they caught a blue-ringed octopus and decided to play with the deadly creature.
An Irish man, who put a blue-ringed octopus on his arm for a photograph, claims he had no idea the animal could kill him. Speaking exclusively to 7NEWS, the 24-year-old says the one that didn’t get away makes for his best fishing tale yet. @ChloeAmandaB#7NEWSpic.twitter.com/qY89sjL53x
After learning how close they came to a swift death, one of the backpackers said they were "(laughing) about how close to death and stupid we were".
The video posted to Facebook on Friday shows Johnpaul Lennon holding out his arm while his mate, Ross Saunders, dangles the octopus over him before putting the creature directly onto his skin. Mr Lennon squeals and recoils as the octopus moves its tentacles over his skin before sticking his arm out a second time for another go.
Saunders told 7 News he "realised it was an octopus but didn't realise what kind of octopus" it was.
He said his friend had been travelling around Australia for months, taking pictures of koalas and other wildlife, and when they caught the creature he decided he "wanted a picture of the octopus on his arm".
Saunders said they spent about 30 seconds trying to get a photo of the octopus on Mr Lennon's arm before releasing it back into the water.
"We got home thinking not much really happened until we showed the octopus video to some of our friends, and that's when we found out what it was and a lot of Googling was done!" Saunders wrote on Facebook last night.
"We laughed about it when we first found out, but it did eventually sink in, and it's surreal to think back knowing if things had been slightly different it could have been fatal, and things would be very different right now.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt and we can laugh about how close to death and stupid we were. Lesson learnt, don't f**k with the wildlife in Australia."
Gormless. Photo / 7 News
Lennon told 7 News they had asked people around them if the creature was dangerous and nobody alerted them. It wasn't until later a friend, looking at the video, mentioned to them the animal was deadly.
Blue-ringed octopuses carry enough toxic tetrodotoxin to kill 26 humans, and stings are often fatal.
The poison is described as being 10,000 times more powerful than cyanide, with the amount needed to kill one human being able to fit on the head of a pin.
The bites from a blue-ringed octopus are often painless.
Victims of blue-ringed octopus stings can experience numbness, nausea, vomiting and paralysis. The victim may need artificial breathing equipment until a hospital can be reached.
Commenters on the Facebook post reacted harshly, expressing shock and outrage at the tourist's stunt.
"You're dead in 8 minutes if it bites you. Just beyond belief how stupid people can be. If you don't know if a creature is dangerous then assume it is," one man commented.
"Can't believe he put that on his arm … If it bites you, it paralyses you and you stop breathing within minutes," another commenter said.
