![]() My guess is that the octopus here is sending a warning meaning ‘back off’ … Octopuses will lunge or shoot an arm out when they feel a fish, another octopus or a human is in their space. I think this is often pre-emptive aggression, meant to signal ‘don’t mess with me,’ rather than aggression seriously meant to harm the ‘invader."My initial reaction to the experience, which I was able to capture on video, was horror, accompanied by curiosity. I had never seen an octopus up close before, but I was more fascinated at the moment. Remember, I was with my daughter, and I'm sure every father can relate to being more defensive of her than afraid of the danger, "Karlson said. The former lifeguard left the octopus behind and went to put up a shelter for his wife and daughter farther down the beach. Karlson was floating in the sea on his own about 20 minutes later (having swum there "many years" before) when the octopus reappeared - he was whipped around his left arm when gazing at crab shells in water about 1.5 meters deep. "My goggles fogged up, the water became murky, and I was shocked and confused," he explained. "I was then slapped a second time around the neck and upper back, this time with greater intensity. I can only characterize it as a stinging accompanied by a 'whipping' feeling." In a video that has gone viral, the octopus can be seen in shallow waters lashing out at geologist Lance Karlson. Octopuses squirt an ink-like liquid when attacked, and Karlson claims he might have been unwittingly in the creature's house. The creature came after him again later and struck him on the arm, before whipping his neck and upper back. The tentacles left stinging red welts on his skin, which Karlson said only eased after he poured cola over them. Karlson swam back to shore, some 25 meters away, but his arm, leg, and upper back were covered with stinging red raised imprints from experience. CNN Travel reports that 34-year-old Lance Karlson was walking on the beach in Geographe Bay, a popular snorkeling spot located about 140 miles south of Perth. Related Article: Singapore Beachgoer Stung By Stingray Gives Scary Warning After Hospitalization Upon walking closer with his two-year-old daughter, he discovered it was an octopus, and took a video, which shows the animal in shallow water take a sudden strike in Karlsons direction with its tentacles. 'The octopus lashed out at us, which was a real shock,' Karlson said in emailed comments to Reuters. "I wasn't sure if Coke would work," he said, "but considering how acidic it is, I figured it was worth a shot." "It seems to fit." Karlson, a geologist for 13 years, and his family fled back to their hotel suite, struggling to locate some vinegar, in search of anything acidic to treat his wounds.
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