Venomous octopus found in Jeju Island
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 25, 2014
A blue-ringed octopus, a venomous subtropical species, has been found in waters off Jeju Island, the Korea Times reported on Tuesday.
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A blue-ringed octopus, a venomous subtropical species, has been found in waters off Jeju Island. |
The blue-ringed octopuses, almost 12 to 20 cm (five to eight in) long, usually live in tide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia. Despite their small size and relatively docile nature, they are recognized as some of the world's most venomous marine animals which can be lethal to humans.
The species was first found in Korean waters in 2012, and has since been occasionally seen by divers, according to the National Fisheries Research and Development Agency based on Jeju.
The institute said this is additional proof that ocean temperatures near the Korean Peninsula are rising.
The octopus was caught by a diver in waters off the island's northwestern coast. Scientists had issued a warning to summer vacationers.
"We see this happening due to global warming, which pushes habitats northward," Ko Jun-cheul, a researcher at the institute, told The Korea Times.
Scientists have found that climate change is changing the direction of ocean currents and raising ocean temperatures, resulting in a disruption of marine ecologies and fishery production.
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