All Octopuses Are Venomous

Discussion in 'General Science & Technology' started by Orleander, Apr 18, 2009.

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  1. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    Does this mean a Nautilus is poisonous as well?



    Australia's tiny blue-ringed octopus has long had a venomous reputation—one bite can kill an adult human in minutes.

    But now it seems the rest of the eight-legged species' relatives are not as harmless as once thought.

    According to a new study, all octopuses, cuttlefish, and some squid are venomous.

    The largest known octopus species, the giant Pacific octopus, can reach sizes of more than 16 feet (5 meters) across. But the 5- to 8-inch (12.7- to 20.3-centimeter) blue-ring remains the only one dangerous to humans.

    The find helps explain a long-standing mystery as to how exactly octopuses hunt and kill, said study leader Bryan Fry, director of the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit.

    Scientists have known that octopuses use their beaks to drill into shelled prey, such as clams, but no one was sure just how octopuses kill their victims.

    The work might also have implications for medical research, according to the study authors.

    Common Ancestor

    Fry and colleagues collected tissue samples from hundreds of cephalopod species during several expeditions in the waters around the Great Barrier Reef, Hong Kong, and Antarctica.

    The team focused on three species found in northeastern and southern Australian seas: the blue-ringed octopus, the sand octopus, and the reef cuttlefish.

    In addition to finding venom proteins, the team discovered that the venom genes from all three species seem to come from a common ancestor. Octopus venom also appears to contain similar proteins to those in other poisonous creatures such as snakes.

    "It shows how little we know about the biology and physiology of these animals," Fry said.

    By studying proteins from various cephalopods, the researchers hope to understand why so many different toxic creatures seem to share a similar basic venom chemistry.

    Knowing more about the properties that make specific chemical brews work as toxins could aid in human drug design, the study authors say.

    That's because many animal venoms have already shown promise for treating ailments such as pain, allergies, and cancer


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  3. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    Octopuses are species within the order Octopoda. Nautiluses (I'll let you sort out the proper plural forms

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    ) are species within the order Nautilida. They are related only at a very high level, within the class Cephalopoda of the phylum Mollusca. This makes them only as closely related as penguins and hummingbirds, or walruses and zebras, or termites and butterflies. There's no reason to jump to the conclusion that they share the rather unusual feature of venom production.
     
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  5. Anti-Flag Pun intended Registered Senior Member

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    Poisonous and venomous are two separate things.

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    Last edited: Apr 19, 2009
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  7. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    good point.
     
  8. Asguard Kiss my dark side Valued Senior Member

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    im surprise at you FR, for someone who is such a nazi on spelling and grammer to fuck up the plural of octopus

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    its octopi, not octopuses
     
  9. Roman Banned Banned

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    It's actually like octopodes or something.
     
  10. Anti-Flag Pun intended Registered Senior Member

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  11. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    There are three acceptable plural forms in American English. Take your choice: Octopuses, octopi or octopodes. The latter does not appear in all dictionaries. Octopuses is preferred in the USA.
     
  12. pjdude1219 The biscuit has risen Valued Senior Member

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    I prefer octopi mainly because I think it sounds coller
     
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