Man unknowingly handles deadliest octopus with venom 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide in Cebu

December 17, 2025 – 3:52 PM

(Andy McConnell via Storyful)

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A British man recorded himself handling a blue-ringed octopus – one of the most venomous animals on earth, while on holiday in the Philippines recently.

Andy McConnell, who has been the glass expert on the long-running British TV show “Antiques Roadshow” for over 20 years, said he filmed the small creature on a beach in Santa Fe, Cebu.

McConnell can be heard saying “the kids here have caught a baby octopus” as he scoops it up with his hand.

“I’ve never seen it before,” he says. “It’s beautiful, look at all that blue,” he continues with the deadly creature resting on his palm. Symbiotic bacteria in blue-ringed octopus salivary glands produce tetrodotoxin (TTX). This substance is potently neurotoxic, blocking the transmission of nerve impulses and is believed to stop muscles from being able to contract, resulting in potentially deadly consequences, according to the UK’s Natural History Museum.

Some reports state that TTX is more than 1,000 times as toxic to humans as cyanide.