Highly venomous male octopuses poison females before sex — to avoid being eaten after mating, scientists say By . Brooke Steinberg. Published March 14, 2025, 3:43 p.m. ET.

Prior to mating, male blue-lined octopuses (Hapalochlaena fasciata) will paralyze females with a precisely placed venomous bite to avoid being eaten.Female blue-lined octopuses are twice the size ...

It’s an octopus-eat-octopus world. Scientists have discovered that mating, male blue-lined octopuses will inject a powerful, ...

The venomous blue-lined octopus is one of many species that engages in sexual cannibalism. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday.

Picture an octopus that could be deadly to humans. You’re probably thinking of a large creature, and not one that is the size of your palm. But indeed, that’s the blue-ringed octopus, one of several ...

The blue-ringed octopus and Antarctic octopus are the two most deadly octopuses for humans when it comes to their venom, says Oregon State University. Meanwhile, the world’s biggest ...

An Australian teen nearly died when he was bitten by a poisonous blue-ringed octopus hiding in a shell he scooped out of the ocean to show his niece. Jacob Eggington, 18, was swimming and looking ...

There have only been three confirmed deaths from blue-ringed octopus bites—two in Australia and one in Singapore—however, some argue that this number is as high as 11. Read more.