Living Ocean Blue Ringed Octopus 22"

The blue ringed octopus is one of the ocean’s most interesting creatures. At first glance, this tiny octopus looks perfectly innocuous. Its psychedelic coloring and pint-sized packaging make it seem more adorable than alarming.

But don’t let its cuddly exterior fool you, the bite of a blue-ringed octopus is one of the deadliest the world has to offer — and it comes in an ounce-sized, squishy, package.

• They’re lethal enough to kill 26 adults

Known as the only octopus that is poisonous to humans, most common blue-ringed octopi carry enough poison that can kill 26 adults, all within a few minutes. They inject their venom by a relatively painless bite that produces two small puncture wounds.

• They have a short life span

These animals have a short life span of only about 2 years. During the reproductive process, both the male and the female die. The male dies soon after mating.

The female lays the eggs and incubates them under her arms for 6 months. During this time, the female doesn’t feed at all, and once the eggs hatch, she dies of starvation.

• Generally, rings are not visible 

When they are at rest,rings are often not visible (or are very faint). It shows up especially when agitated. At this time, the brown patches darken extensively while the iridescent blue rings appear and pulsate within the maculae.