# Blue ring octopus fights crab **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 7, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611 "2021-05-07T18:49:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/1 "2021-05-07T18:49:04Z")
Blue ring octopus are highly venomous to humans and there’s no anti-venom available. I was impressed how the crab stands up on his back legs to fight. You want a piece of me dude? 🙂 I didn’t know they could stand up. This type of video fascinates me. > **[WATCH: Epic underwater battle between blue-ringed octopus and crab](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9552597/Huge-blue-ringed-octopus-crab-battle-underwater-showdown-Mornington-Peninsula.html)** > > Free diver Jules Casey found a deadly blue-ringed octopus and huge crab locked in an underwater face-off while swimming in the Mornington Peninsula south-east of Melbourne. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/2 "2021-05-07T22:10:06Z")
There was about 2 seconds of crab time, the rest of the time was just the oddly clumsy-looking octopus lurching around. Plus you have to disable your ad blocker. Not worth it, in my estimation. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/3 "2021-05-07T22:16:21Z")
Am I crazy, or is the text description of that video in the OP’s link pretty much total bullshit? (Not that those two options are mutually exclusive, of course.) > [@](#): > > […] a deadly blue-ringed octopus and crab battled it out in an epic showdown on the sea floor as fascinated scuba divers watched. > > Free diver Jules Casey found the unexpected pair locked in underwater combat […] > > the aggravated crustacean immediately jumped onto its back and fended off the venomous octopus by repeatedly striking its tentacles […] I watched the linked video, and none of that happened. The octopus went by one crab and smacked at it with a tentacle, and the crab sprang back into an upright defensive posture, and stayed there as the octopus moved on. Then the octopus encounters another crab which bats back its exploring tentacle and likewise jumps into defensive posture. Nobody jumped on the octopus’s back, no “epic” “locked in combat” situation occured. In fact, nothing that I would call anything like a “battle” or “fight” or “combat” occurred at all. The octopus casually backhanded a couple of crabs in passing, like a bully walking down a high school corridor, and its victims smacked back once and retreated on the defensive. Nothing less “epic” could possibly be imagined, combat-wise. As the article went on to say after it had gone through its clickbait-bullshit routine: > [@](#): > > The seasoned diver said she was pleasantly surprised to find the two creatures. > > ‘The octopus touches a crab and his quick reflexes and defensive position are almost hilarious,’ she said. It was very cool to see the octopus and crabs going about their underwater business, but as a cataclysmic invertebrate battle on the sea floor this video is a complete washout. About what you’d expect from Mail Online. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/4 "2021-05-07T22:21:14Z")
The text is over the top hyperbole. That’s common these days with many news sites. I ignore it. The video is only three minutes. The crab face off is short but with high stakes. The octopus venom can easily kill a crab. It was lucky to avoid a bite. I read the daily mail with the duck duck go browser. It’s limited ad blocker doesn’t trigger any problems. I don’t get pop up ads with that browser. I do see a embedded ad when playing video. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/5 "2021-05-07T22:25:45Z")
When I read the thread title my first thought was “Is this some variation on Rock-Paper-Scissor”, like “Rock-Paper’Scissors - Lizard - Spock”? Like “Octopus - Crab - Shark”, maybe. _Octopus beats crab, Shark beats octopus, Crab beats Shark?? Needs work._ ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/6 "2021-05-07T22:58:30Z")
What the video fails to mention: Afterward, the octopus ate the diver. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/7 "2021-05-07T23:46:22Z")
Well of course–she had already been seasoned. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/8 "2021-05-08T20:24:29Z")
I would also question if that was shot by a free diver, unless that water is very shallow. That’s a lot of bottom time. Not impossible, but at the limit for most everyone except world champion divers. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-ring-octopus-fights-crab/941611/9 "2021-05-10T14:35:08Z")
Definitely not a free diver, you can hear him breathing through his regulator throughout the video.