March really turned out to be a great month for sightings of some of the more rare critters we have here in Lembeh. We have seen the Lembeh Sea Dragon, Wonderpus, Harlequin Shrimps, Tiger Shrimps and we completed the month with an awesome encounter with a beautiful Blue Ringed Octopus.
There are three confirmed species of blue ringed octopuses (Genus Hapalochlaena). You can find these usually solitary creature hiding on sandy or rubble areas. Despite their small size (4-8 inches) and their relatively docile nature, they are one of the worlds most venomous animals – the venom in their bite is powerful enough to kill humans!
The blue rings are usually not visible in the octopus when they are resting. However when they are provoked or feeling threatened its brown patches darken dramatically and the blue rings appear and pulsate.
Russell, one of our guests, was lucky enough to see this critter on only his second dive here in Lembeh! His luck continued to allow him to get this great shot even though there were a few divers all trying to do the same at the same time!!
Excellent photo, Russ.