VIDEO: Tourist in Bali Unknowingly Films Herself Holding Deadly Octopus

A woman on vacation in Bali recently shared a video of herself holding a tiny octopus she later learned is extremely dangerous.

“On Monday, Kaylin Phillips posted the footage to her TikTok account, writing ‘Going to Bali and unknowingly holding one of the most dangerous animals,'” Fox News reported.

The video then identified the creature as a blue-ringed octopus.

“Called my dad crying 3 hours later in Bali,” Phillips wrote in the post’s caption.

According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s (AIMS) website, the animal’s name does not refer to one species, but a genus of species who share circular, iridescent blue markings.

“These markings are certainly very beautiful and striking to look at, however they are only displayed when the octopus is about to dispense its deadly poison, so stick to looking at them in photographs!” the site continued:

The blue-ringed octopus has a nasty surprise for any potential prey or predators. Within its salivary glands live bacteria, which produce the chemical tetrodotoxin. This is a strong, fast-acting toxin that paralyses the target by blocking the nerves from transmitting messages. This toxin can be fatal; it has known to have caused the deaths of at least three people: two in Australia and one in Singapore. Many more people have come close to death as a result of the bite of the blue-ringed octopus.

The paralysis that overcomes the victim is only to their voluntary muscles; they remain fully conscious. Death usually occurs as a result of lack of oxygen. Thus, if mouth to mouth resuscitation is given to a victim of a blue-ringed octopus, they should fully recover. The good news for swimmers in the waters where blue-ringed octopuses are found, is that they are retiring creatures and will only bite if they are being harassed and poked.

In 2013, BBC Earth shared video footage of a blue-ringed octopus, referred to in Sydney, Australia, as the blue-lined octopus:

Since it was posted, Phillips’ TikTok clip has been viewed more than five million times.

“I actually held two of them in the same day. I tried to feed them oranges for a solid 20 minutes,” she commented, according to Fox.

One user reportedly replied, “Advice from marine biology/zoology: Never ever pick up, touch or eat anything brightly colored. Period, animal or plants.”