What animal eats the blue-ringed octopus?

Predators of the blue-ringed octopus include gropers, moray eels, sharks and snappers. At just 5 to 7 inches in size, the species is an easy target for these larger fish that share its territory.

To avoid its predators, the octopus often hides in crevices and abandoned shells or buries itself in the bottom of its native shallow, sandy waters in the western Pacific Ocean. When confronted, the octopus exhibits electric blue bands as a warning to predators. While painless, a bite by the tiny mollusk includes toxins from its salivary glands strong enough to paralyze and kill a human within minutes.