BUSSELTON resident Lesley Langridge wants to warn other water users about her recent discovery of blue-ringed octopi in the area.
Nearly two weeks ago Ms Langridge and her family were about 100 metres from shore and on the east side of the Busselton jetty when they pulled their octopus pots up and made the rare the discovery.
“I was shocked to see four blue-ring octopi across 10 pots,” she said.
“I haven’t never seen them down this way before.”
According to the WA Museum the octopuses have a distinct pattern of bright blue rings on their bodies and they produce a venomous saliva that can potentially kill an adult.
People are warned to stay away if they spot one.
Ms Langridge said children need to be careful when they go looking for sea shells in the area.
“The blue-ringed octopus is very small and can hide in the shells without people realising,” she said.
She recommended people to put the shells straight into a plastic bag and once home put them in fresh water.
Ms Langridge said the fresh water kills the octopus.
“The trouble with this species is the bite is so small you might not notice straight away that you have been bitten,” she said.
“But within 10 minutes symptoms can occur and someone can within 30 minutes.”
The blue-ringed octopus species that live in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia (mainly around southern New South Wales and South Australia, and northern Western Australia) are recognised as some of the world's most dangerous marine animals.
