A blue-ringed octopus is the world’s most venomous marine animal. Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Kids playing catch with an old tennis ball by a river in Australia were unaware of the life-threatening danger they were in because of what was inside the ball. A deadly sea creature had made the old tennis ball its home.

Kristy Edgelow of Perth told River Guardians on Facebook that her children were playing with the tennis ball for 15 to 20 minutes along the Swan River in North Fremantle when her older son “noticed something moving inside.”

As reported by Perth Now and the Daily Mail, Edgelow and her children got quite a shock when they watched what emerged from a slit in the tennis ball.

“We got the fright of our lives when this little fellow popped his leg out and we realized it was a blue-ringed octopus,” Edgelow wrote. “They were so lucky not to have been bitten! My heart was racing that’s for sure.”

And for good reason.

Though the blue-ringed octopus is small (5 to 8 inches), it packs a deadly punch. The world’s most venomous marine animal carries enough venom to kill 26 adults within minutes.


Where the river meets the sea you can find all sorts of critters and some are dangerous. A blue ringed octopus was found inside a tennis ball in North Fremantle. The river is very marine there so we can expect that these may be as common as they might be in the ocean.
They are cryptic animals that like to hide in crevices. Old tennis balls, shells and discarded containers provide perfect habitat for them.
Keep an eye on pets and children exploring the foreshores as these highly toxic animals are as dangerous as they are colourful.
https://museumvictoria.com.au/…/jun-20…/blue-ringed-octopus/

Where the river meets the sea you can find all sorts of critters and some are dangerous,” River Guardians wrote on Facebook. “The river is very marine [in North Fremantle] so we can expect that these may be as common as they might be in the ocean.

“They are cryptic animals that like to hide in crevices. Old tennis balls, shells and discarded containers provide perfect habitat for them.

“Keep an eye on pets and children exploring the foreshores as these highly toxic animals are as dangerous as they are colorful.”

WA Today reported that the venom of a blue-ringed octopus “can result in nausea, respiratory arrest, heart failure, severe and sometimes total paralysis, blindness, and often death within minutes if not treated.”

“If someone does get bitten, perform CPR continuously until medical assistance arrives,” Clay Bryce, a Western Australia Museum aquatics expert, told WA Today.

Read more at http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/kids-playing-with-old-tennis-ball-find-deadly-sea-creature-inside/#Ko4EoIThSeKorwlq.99

Is the moral of the story "don't play with strange balls?"

i never do... but to each their own..

Australia seems to be full of animals that will kill you. Snakes included...

Most of the time the animals are not a problem.It's the humans you have to watch out for.

Well Crikey!

the New Zealand balls...i just posted something about their ball ole balls...

http://mingle2.com/topic/477284