097 Be mesmerised by rings of blue

Life here is rife with venomous species. Spiders in shoes, snakes in yards and wobbly, jellylike shapes drifting offshore. And let’s not forget the notorious blue-ringed octopus.

What do most people associate with Australia? That it’s rife with venomous species. Spiders in shoes, snakes in yards and wobbly, jellylike shapes drifting offshore. Like, for instance, the notorious blue-ringed octopus.

Australia is home to two of the three extant species, the Blue-lined and Southern Blue-ring. Even though they’re among the world’s deadliest animals, they’re hardly just floating around waiting to strike. In fact they’re not always blue; they use light-reflecting skin cells as camouflage and display that striking blue only when provoked.

There’s no known antidote and their beaks can penetrate wetsuits, but we reckon as long as you steer clear of tide pools, you’re fairly safe.

Where // Southern Blue-ring occies occur along the south coast from WA to Vic, and Blue-lined occies occur from south Qld to south NSW.

Did you know? // The largest blue-ringed octopus in the world is at White Water World on the Gold Coast. But fear not – it’s not as dangerous as it sounds. It’s actually a waterslide; “the world’s first and only eight-lane racer”.