• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Octopus Bites

I've had a few experiences with octopus bites.
With the gloomy octopus .
After a number of experiences diving. with bold octopus grabbing my hand and having a nibble on my finger till I had enough , I decided to let it go a bit further and see what happens .
While on a scuba dive in Jervis bay , I made friends with a gloomy octopus , who came out of his den and grabbed on to my hand , he pulled my hand into his den and started exploring me with his suckers . He then moved my hand to his mouth area and started nibbling . I had the feeling he was just checking me out , having a taste, there was no aggressive behaviour .
After a couple of mins of this he managed to get a good few nips in and I guess he broke the skin and some of his saliva made it in ,
I noted a numbness in my hand , which started to travel up my arm . That's when I decided to end the experiment .
So now I know that the gloomy octopus has something in its saliva and its prob not a good idea to let one take a chunk out of your hand .

When I got back on my boat I noted a small bite , and after about an hour all feeling fully returned to my hand and arm .
Sorry for the long post
matt
 
Good advice! Species identification is difficult in the field, the amount of venom delivered by a bite can vary considerably, and people may be allergic to the compounds delivered. I would like to have an image of the wound to include in PowerPoint that I present to classes going into the field. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
 
Species of octopus: bimac
Age of octopus: 2ish years
Size of mantle: 1.5in
Type of bite: nibble, testing feel maybe
How did it occur
? General interaction letting it explore my hand, was amazed at how strong an octo this size is! Had only interacted with smaller species before
Reaction: just redness, nothing more
Comments about the bite and your reaction: was two tiny nips, I think he was just testing the feel of my skin, felt like a teeny pinch
Photos
: the pic of him covering my hand is when it happened
IMG_5527.jpeg
IMG_6711.jpeg
IMG_6700.jpeg
IMG_5516.jpeg
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top