Woman bitten in stomach by deadly octopus with enough venom to kill 26 people after picking up shell it was hiding in
A SWIMMER was rushed to hospital after being bitten by a deadly octopus with enough venom to kill 26 people.
The woman in her 30s was in the water at Chinaman's Beach in Sydney, Australia, when she picked up a shell the rare beast was hiding in.
The lethal blue-ringed octopus then attacked her, biting her twice on the stomach.
She dashed to hospital following the incident on Thursday.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Christian Holmes said: "This woman was swimming and picked up a shell.
"It contained a small blue-ringed octopus which fell out and bit her twice on the stomach.
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"The patient was experiencing some abdominal pain around the bite site so paramedics applied pressure and a cold compress before taking her to hospital to be monitored and treated for further symptoms.
";A blue-ringed octopus bite is a rare call for us but they are extremely venomous."
Blue-ringed octopuses are one of the most venomous sea creatures in the world.
They have enough venom to kill 26 adults within minutes.
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The small critters - which usually measure up at around 12cm - have blue rings on their yellow body which only appear when the animal is disturbed, hunting or mating.
Usually the octopus is active at night, spending most of the day hidden.
Its bite is poisonous to humans, with the power to paralyse victim within minutes.
Experts have said just more than half a milligram of its venom is enough to kill an adult human.
Its bite is usually painless, but after 10 minutes the victim may have difficulty breathing, become paralysed, and require artificial ventilation until they can be transported to a hospital.
The duration of life-threatening symptoms is usually four to 10 hours - after that time, surviving patients typically show rapid signs of improvement.
There is no anti-venom available for blue-ringed octopus bites.
In extreme cases, blue-ringed octopus bites can cause death from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.
A dad was previously rushed to hospital after unknowingly stuffing a blue-ringed octopus in his swimming shorts.
Aaron Pix put a shell he was handed by his daughter on a beach near Perth in his pocket - but was horrified when he discovered the critter loose when he got home.
Meanwhile, one oblivious tourist narrowly escaped being bitten after holding a blue-ringed octopus.
Kaylin Phillips posted the video with the title “going to Bali and unknowingly holding one of the most dangerous animals”.
After Kaylin looked up the species she realised how close she had been to death as she held the critter in her hand on the Indonesian island.
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And Brit backpackers also risked their lives by letting a blue-ringed octopus touch their skin.
