The mesmerizing Bluering. My favourite octopus. I had to wait 7 years to see this beauty of the sea. Then, in just one week, we encountered 4 blue-ringed octopuses (Hapalochlaena sp.). You can’t imagine how happy I was every time we saw them. Their patterns and colors are truely unique and every individual seems to have its own character: Some try to jet off, some tend to stay put, trying to blend in with the environment. Others try to scare off curious divers by flashing the blue rings. And others are curious themselves, wondering what that bubblemaking thing is and why it stops by.
Notorious for its venom that apparently can kill 26 people, they are not aggressive at all. The venom (tetrodotoxin) is produced in the salivary glands by bacteria, but it can be found in almost every organ and gland of the Bluering.