第 1163 號，共 1 402 號

Southern blue-ringed octopus

Hapalochlaena maculosa

名字的由來： It is named for the vibrant blue rings it shows when it is agitated.1

致命地球上最致命的動物之一。如果牠咬了你，要立刻求救。快速救援和抗毒血清能救活大多數人。立刻打緊急電話。

芋螺和章魚

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

The southern blue-ringed octopus is a small octopus that lives in tidal rock pools and rocky reefs along the south coast of Australia. It is one of four extremely venomous blue-ringed octopus species. Its body is usually drab, but its blue rings flash when it feels threatened.1

分布在

Southern coasts of Australia1

印度洋, 太平洋

首頁

It lives in tidal rock pools and in crevasses and cracks in rocky reefs. It also lives close to seagrass beds. Like other blue-ringed octopuses, it lives in burrows.1

長度

20 cm (7,9 in)1

最高速度

大約 25 km/h（16 mph）

游泳, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It eats mostly lobsters, crabs, shrimp and shellfish, including bivalve molluscs, and sometimes small fish. It pins down prey and injects venom through its beak, which paralyses the prey. It can also release venom as a mist into areas where prey gathers, so that prey swim into it and become paralysed.1

Southern blue-ringed octopus 的照片 — Southern blue-ringed octopus。照片：Christopher Mark。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

When calm, its colour is a drab, mucus-like colour.1
When threatened or aggravated, about 60 rings suddenly appear and flash blue-green.1
As an adult, it is up to 20 cm long, from the top of the mantle to the tip of the arms.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom contains maculotoxin, a deadly neurotoxin (a poison that attacks the nerves), and tetrodotoxin (TTX), also a neurotoxin. Without immediate medical attention, a bite is often fatal to humans.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

The octopus is normally docile, but its venom can kill a human. A bite is often fatal without immediate medical attention. No cases of unprovoked aggression towards humans are known.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, its drab colouring gives way to flashing blue-green rings.1

如果牠咬人

Get immediate medical attention, because a bite is often fatal without it. No antivenom exists.1
加壓固定法：用彈性繃帶緊緊包住咬傷處，再往上包住整條手臂或腿，用夾板固定，並讓傷者完全不動，直到救援抵達。
藍環章魚或芋螺會讓人在意識還清醒時就停止呼吸：馬上求救，並準備好做人工呼吸，直到救護人員接手。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲太平洋印度洋

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 6 塊玩具積木排成一排一樣長可以在 7,2 秒內游完一座大游泳池（50 公尺）

Southern blue-ringed octopus 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

奧運游泳選手 大約 8 km/h (5 mph)

Southern blue-ringed octopus 大約 25 km/h (16 mph)

全速前進的海豚 大約 35 km/h (22 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Females only reproduce once in their lifetime. After the eggs hatch, the mother dies shortly afterwards, as she does not eat while guarding them.1

Young blue-ringed octopuses have no planktonic stage. They begin hunting at around one month old.1

The average lifespan is around seven months. The octopus reaches sexual maturity at about four months old.1

Females are choosy about mates. They are more willing to mate with larger males, and larger males try to mate more often than smaller ones.1

破解迷思

迷思： Popular culture portrays the southern blue-ringed octopus as a sea devil that lies in wait to attack humans.

真相： Its venom is mainly used for hunting or defence. There are no reported cases of unprovoked aggression towards humans.1

給毒液專家

學名: Hapalochlaena maculosa
類群: 芋螺和章魚
家人: Octopodidae2
排序: Octopoda
各大洲: 印度洋, 太平洋, 海洋
寶寶: The female carries her eggs with her instead of leaving them in one place, and the young hatch from them. The young are venomous from birth, and their blue rings appear about six weeks after hatching.1
壽命: 大約 0,6 年1
對人的危險: 5 / 5: 致命3