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Image © Jamie Holdorf BLUE RINGED TREASURE (Hapalochlaena Lunulata) One of the critters on my “to see” list while in Indonesia was the infamous Blue Ringed Octopus, infamous because of its highly venomous bite despite its diminutive size. In self-defense it will bite and then inject venom into the wound. Its venom contains tetrodotoxin (also found in fugu. No not Pete, pufferfish), a potent neurotoxin, that causes heart and respiratory failure in humans. Upon my discovery of this little gem, just past the pier, my heart started pounding, and my breathing accelerated. And he wasn’t even mating! Really, I became so excited that I think I only snapped one shot before accosting the diver closest to me. Saudio. Who couldn’t even see it! I kept pointing as close to it as I dared, and yelling through my regulator (which, in my heightened state of exhilaration I’d completely forgotten comes out sounding like BMOOGLE, sorry Mike), “Look, Mike…it’s right THERE!!” And then it moved. He was all over it then with strobes going off like…well strobes. It was then that I realized that I hadn’t really taken any shots of my own. I think I actually shouldered him out of the way at one point, saying, “Oh, no way dude, that’s my shot!” Again, sorry Mike.
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