Sydney Aquarium's Blue Ringed Octopus

Sydney Aquarium currently houses the world’s most venomous octopus – the blue ringed octopus.

There are thought to be four species of Blue ringed octopus, three of which are found in Australian waters. The octopus on display is Hapalochlaena fasciata, and occurs in shallow waters from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales. This species can be found in Sydney harbour. Blue ringed octopus can be found amongst rocks, crevices and rockpools of sheltered inshore areas. They occupy the intertidal zone down to depths of 30 meters.

Blue ringed octopuses are a mottled yellowish-brown colour with dark brown bands and irregular faint blue circles and lines across the body. When threatened, these lines and rings become a vibrant blue colour.

Blue ringed octopuses are very small – rarely exceeding 15cm across outspread tentacles, and have a very short lifecycle. They reach maturity at four months of age, and generally live for only 1-1.5 years.

Blue ringed octopuses are very shy and are masters of camouflage. They generally will be found in small crevices, in shells, and underneath rocks in loose sand and rubble. They are able to change the colour and texture of their skin to match their surrounding environment exactly. This makes this animal extremely hard to find in the wild, and quite hard to spot on display here at the aquarium sometimes!

Venom

Blue ringed octopuses have powerful venom used for defense and for capturing prey. They feed primarily on small crabs, and occasionally on small fish and shrimp. The mouth of the octopus contains a beak like jaw. Prey is bitten, and the venom enters the wound as saliva, rather than being injected. The venom can also be released into the water around the prey item, paralyzing the prey.

The venom contains a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin. This toxin is also found in other animals such as puffer fish, poison arrow frogs, some newts and salamanders, but the blue ringed octopus is the only animal that uses it in the form of venom. Tetrodotoxin is produced by bacteria that live in the salivary glands of the blue ringed octopus.

Tetrodotoxin shuts down signaling in nerves. The toxin interferes with the signals travelling from the brain to the muscles of the diaphragm and the chest wall and leads to respiratory failure. There is little or no effect of tetrodotoxin on the heart or brain.

One bite from a blue ringed octopus reportedly contains enough venom to kill 26 adult people!

Symptoms

People that have been bitten by a blue ringed octopus will feel numbness or tingling around the face and neck within a few minutes. This may be followed by difficulty in seeing, speaking and breathing. Victims may also experience vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness and lack of coordination. This progresses to paralysis which may last from four to twelve hours. If EAR (expired air resuscitation) is not given when breathing difficulty and paralysis begin, the victim will fall unconscious and die from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Death can occur within thirty minutes.

The victim may be completely paralysed and unable to respond, sometimes with fixed dilated pupils, but may still be aware of their surroundings, and have reported that they have been able to hear everything around them.

The symptoms can vary in severity, with children being most at risk because of their small body size. If the victim lives through the first 24 hours they generally go on to make a full recovery with no lasting side effects.

First Aid

Immediately apply a pressure immobilization bandage to the area of the bite. The bite is often painless and may go unnoticed by the victim. Reassure the victim, monitor their breathing and transport the victim to a hospital immediately. Perform mouth to mouth resuscitation if their breathing stops and continue until medical assistance is found. There is no antivenom available for tetrodotoxin.

Safety

The blue ringed octopus is the most venomous octopus in the world. It is a shy animal that only attacks when provoked. It is often found hiding in seashells and in rockpools. If one is found do not attempt to touch or move the animal.

To see our blue ringed octopus here at Sydney Aquarium, look for the wall tanks on the left-hand side, immediately after the Shark Nursery exhibit (formerly the Sydney Harbour tank).

🙂

Ever wondered if there is alien life out there? Well never-mind looking in outer space, we have some of the strangest, weirdest and positively alien creatures living right here on earth! To find them we must journey to inner space, the mysterious ocean world where earth’s very own alien species reside – the Octopus.

Now before you think they are not alien enough for you, let me tell you a little more about them. Firstly, octopus come from a class of animals known as cephalopods, a term formed from two Greek words, which literally means “head” and “foot”. This unusual name tells us about how these animals are constructed, basically with their foot coming straight off their head. Cephalopods include the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and the primitive nautilus.  There are over 700 discovered species of cephalopods living today and they are found in all the world’s oceans, from the tropics to the icy waters of the poles; and from coastal shores to the abyssal depths, some found as deep as 800m!

But of course you need more than that… 

Humans have red blood and all blood is red… right? Wrong, not with the octopus, these little aliens have green blood! The green colour is cause by the copper in their system, which they use instead of iron to aid them in transporting oxygen. Unfortunately copper is not as efficient as iron so the octopus compensates for this, with yet another alien feature – they have 3 hearts. 

Speaking of different colours; cephalopods can change colour faster than any other animal on the planet! With special colour changing cells called chromatophores which are linked to their nervous system, they can pulse and flash colours to confuse prey, dazzle predators and communicate emotions. Strangely, despite their amazing ability to change colour, most cephalopods are colour blind.

Cephalopods can also disappear before your very eyes! Using clouds of black ink and fast jet propulsion, octopus and their cousins can make a quick getaway. Some species even squirt the black ink out in a shape similar to themselves, to distract predators while they escape.

Still not alien enough for you? How about the belief that aliens are intelligent…?

Well, of course, so are our amazing cephalopods. Their intelligence has been the focus of much research over the years they are considered by many scientists to be the smartest invertebrate on the planet.  Octopus have been found capable of learning and have special parts of the brain dedicated to memory. They can solve complex puzzles and some have even puzzled their researchers in return, by creeping out of their tanks at night to steal fish from the adjacent tanks, then sneaking back into their tank to maintain their innocence the next morning. In fact octopus are so clever, they have not only 1 brain – or even 2 which would be amazing – but 9 brains! One central brain and one for each of their tentacles. Some recent research even suggests it may be possible that octopus can dream. Our octopus here at the aquarium has a whole box full of toys or food puzzles to continually challenge his brain, such as a glass jar which he has to learn to open to get his dinner.

Sadly, all these brains are very short lived, with octopus and their relatives living only a few short years. Most cephalopods have a lifespan of only 18 months, a few rare species living a lucky 4 years, but no longer. 

With all this in mind, don’t let all the strangeness of these earthly aliens scare you away from them, for they are one of the most endearing creatures you will ever meet. Each individual has their own unique personality but they are each of them just as loveable as the next.  Okay, so they don’t have fluffy fur, or big round eyes, but to shake hands with an octopus is an unforgettable experience! Whether you be having a water fight, playing tug of war, or just watching their curious antics it is indeed very hard not to love the octopus.  The more you learn about cephalopods, the more wondrous they become.

Behold Zorro – our resident alien

So, aliens on Earth…? You be the judge, come and visit “Zorro” our latest representative of the “other world” here at Sydney Aquarium.

Amy 🙂

Come on, just a bit closer. That’s it, just a little bit more – don’t be scared now.  Yes down here. Just a moment of your time if you would…

Now before rushing off to see all those “big things” – fish, rays, sharks, dugongs, penguins and the host of other much talked about creatures on display at the Sydney Aquarium – I need you to consider me. Why – because whilst I never get put on those glossy posters and fancy adds with the rest of the super cool pin-up crew, I’m still very special in my own way.  I’m “The Caprellid” – hear me roar.

So what is a Caprellid?

We are very small – usually less than 1cm – marine crustaceans (you know like crabs and lobsters). We are typically pale amber or white in colour and found in a diverse range of habitats from shallow estuarine waters as cold as -2 C to the heated waters of deep ocean hydrothermal vents. We spend the majority of our entire life attached to some form of substrate — usually seaweeds and or non-mobile invertebrates such as barnacles and mussels as well as man-made structures such as wharfs, ropes, and nets used in aquaculture.

What do I do?

We have a habit of using our hind legs to cling on whilst our body extends vertically up into the water with our claws spread wide as we bend side to side waving through the water – waiting for some food to drift by – or just chilling out. If I had a willing human available to demonstrate our behavior, I would ask them to stand with a bit of a hunch then hold up both hands and wave them whilst shifting their hips from side to side – sort of like a rhythmically gyrating praying mantis in the groove at Woodstock.

What do I eat?

Well I’m an omnivorous opportunist, meaning that I eat just about anything that passes by and will fit in my mouth, from single celled algae to worms and larval fish. Try as I may though, I just can’t seem to bulk up – hence my nick name “Skeleton Shrimp” – whilst notably unbecoming, truth be known it’s a pretty good description for me.

Who’s looking to eat me?

Unfortunately some fish like to dine on us, but looking at the big picture from a philanthropic perspective this is where we play such a crucial link in the food chain -between those single celled algae and the fish that predate on us.

How do we reproduce?

Many moons ago I found a suitable ladyfriend (Cassie) to mate with – she was gorgeous. We spent countless hours swaying harmoniously in the current together – good times. She told me that she had a perfect brood pouch to hold our fertilized eggs till the day that they would emerge as ready to go mini me’s. However what she was reluctant to tell me was that she also had a bad habit of killing her partner with her venomous claw after mating– needless to say things never worked out between us.

“Good Times” – Ex-girlfriend Cassie (left) and I.

 

Til next you visit….

So next time, like I said before, STOP……Take a closer look, and you might see me or one of my mates just hanging around. Then you’ll be able to yell out to everyone in the aquarium and say: “I know what that is – WOW a Caprellid – how cool. Those show pony sharks and the like have got nothing on this little dude.”

Peace out – The Caprellid

 

Here at Sydney Aquarium, we are lucky enough to be able to house, display and care for some of Australia’s most beautiful and unique aquatic life. Often, when I ask visitors about their favourite animals at the aquarium, it is not uncommon to hear them remarking about some of the larger more ‘impressive’ animals, like the sharks, dugongs and turtles just to name a few. However, today I thought I would draw your attention to one of my favourite animals which calls the aquarium home. Smaller and less-obvious, but definitely an impressive, not to mention beautiful creature…the leafy sea dragon.

The leafy sea dragon is a master of camouflage, so it is no surprise that I often see people staring in to its tank wondering what is inside. It’s not until they take a closer look at the piece of seaweed which floats around the tank, that they realise that they have been looking at the leafy sea dragon the whole time! The sea-dragon’s body is covered in leaf like appendages which have the ability to change colour dependent on the animals age, diet, location and even stress levels. Not only does the leafy sea dragon look like a piece of seaweed, but it also acts like one too. ‘Leafies’ (as they are commonly called) move very slowly and gracefully, gliding and tumbling through the water like a piece of seaweed floating in the current. Their many appendages are used merely for decoration, and their bodies are actually quite rigid. It is a surprise to many people that leafy sea dragons use neither of these things to propel themselves through the water. Leafy sea dragons move around by using translucent fins found on the side of their head and along their spine, which are almost invisible to see, unless you are looking very closely for them.

Leafy sea dragons are one of two species of sea dragon found in Australia, and are found along the coast of Western and South Australia. They grow to around 45cm in length and hide in areas which contain sea grasses and kelp. Leafy sea dragons despite their laid back appearance are fierce predators of larval fish and small crustaceans (amphipods). I often stand and watch fascinated as our leafie swims around its tank sucking up hundreds of mysids one by one.

One of the most interesting things about the leafy sea dragon, is the way in which it reproduces. Like their relatives the sea horses, the males brood and incubate the eggs, and give birth to the young. Female sea dragons will lay around 100-250 eggs on the underside of the males tail, attaching them to an organ known as the brood patch. Here they are provided with oxygen, and left to develop for around 4-6 weeks. These pink eggs will then hatch, and the male sea dragon gives birth to completely independent young. While there are very few (if any) natural predators to an adult leafy sea dragon (due to their outstanding camouflage), only around 5% of the males brood will survive to maturity.

Despite their exceptional ability to hide from predators, leafy sea dragons are listed as a near threatened species. Unfortunately many sea-grass habitats in which they reside are being degraded and destroyed as a result of pollution and excessive run-off from nearby areas. And it is also no surprise that due to their spectacular appearance, leafy sea dragons are often the target of illegal collectors.

If you ever happen to be lucky enough to be diving or snorkelling in areas where leafy sea dragons are found, or even visiting us here at Sydney aquarium, take some time out to slow down and have a good look for these amazing animals. I can guarantee that when you finally spot one you will be captivated by their beauty, and will not be disappointed.

🙂