Pattaya health officials are warning locals not to eat or handle blue-ringed octopuses, which carry enough venom to kill 28 adults within minutes.
Recognized as one of the world’s most venomous marine animals, blue-ringed octopuses are 12-20 centimeters long. They can be identified by their yellowish skin and characteristic blue and black rings that change color dramatically when the animals are threatened.
People should closely look at any octopus they find at local markets and report anyone selling them, as the animal’s venom contains the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin. There is no antidote for the deadly poison, which cannot be neutralized through cooking.
It takes temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius to destroy the toxin.
Report any sales of blue-ringed octopus to the Marine and Coastal Resources Department at 02-141-1333 or the Pattaya City Call Center at 1337. (PCPR)
