Octopus vs. Crab Battle

Transcript

00:00 Touch me and you die.

00:07 Roughly the size of a baseball, the soft-bodied blue-lined octopus looks deceptively vulnerable.

00:16 And with a relatively short lifespan of just seven months, the species depends upon some

00:21 rather extreme survival strategies.

00:26 It advertises its message in neon blue.

00:31 This sea snake is prowling for food.

00:35 The octopus has a choice to make.

00:39 Hide or stand and fight.

00:43 It opts to hide.

00:47 Like most cephalopods, the blue-lined octopus is a master of disguise.

00:53 Sophisticated skin tissues allow it to rapidly change not only its colours, but also the

01:00 texture of its skin to better blend in with its surroundings.

01:08 The sea snake continues its search for a meal.

01:13 And some predators are armed with more refined senses.

01:26 The hammerhead shark possesses an array of electro-receptors that can detect even the

01:32 best hidden of prey on the sea floor.

01:37 Confronted with the threat, the blue-lined octopus decides to change tactics.

01:44 It sends a vivid message.

01:47 Iridescent blue markings pulsate across its body, warning the predator that it's armed

01:55 and dangerous.

02:03 Its deadly bite is 10,000 times more toxic than cyanide.

02:10 In humans, envenomation can cause respiratory failure, leading to cardiac arrest and eventually

02:17 death, in as little as a few minutes.

02:22 In nature, such threat displays are generally heeded and the hammerhead continues on its

02:28 way.

02:34 On a smaller scale, the blue-lined octopus is also a predator.

02:40 It scours the ocean floor, searching for small fish and crustaceans.

02:46 As a soft-bodied cephalopod, it's vulnerable to counter-attack, and this crab's pincers

02:52 could inflict grievous bodily harm, albeit in self-defense.

03:03 A surprise attack presents the best chance of success.

03:21 The octopus's dexterous tentacles restrain the crab's menacing claws, while its sharp

03:28 beak easily penetrates the crab's exoskeleton, delivering its toxic bite.

03:37 The crab quickly succumbs to a lethal combination of toxins contained within the octopus's venom.

03:46 There's no doubt with this pint-sized perpetrator, blue means back off.

03:51 "

03:58 "

04:01 (water bubbling)