A Washington woman thought it would be funny to put an octopus on her face. Think she's laughing now?
What are we doing, people?!
It doesn't matter how famous you'll become on Instagram or Facebook, you really shouldn't mess with wild animals for mere photo ops.
Jamie Bisceglia found that out the hard way when she grasped an opportunity, only to be grasped, and bitten, in return.
It happened in Tacoma Narrows on August 2, and in case you ever considered putting an octopus on your face, hurry up and watch this video news report from KIRO before it's too late.
The venom surely wasn't comfortable, and the fact that she very well may experience swelling and pain for months should (hopefully) be enough to persuade her to rethink her selfie objectives.
Who would ever expect to outsmart an octopus? Their low levels of venom are rarely used on humans, but as Bisceglia found out, can still cause some serious discomfort. The Giant Pacific octopus, or possibly Pacific red octopus, in the photos didn't seem to care, and clearly utilized a defense mechanism that needed to be engaged.
How does an octopus bite?
An octopus bite comes from the beak, or rostrum, and all species have some sort of venom, according to a study reported on by National Geographic. It's used to immobolize their prey, which usually consists of clams, mussels, and crabs. The beak is used to drill into or open the shells.
For reference, here's what the beak looks like:
Bisceglia is lucky it wasn't a full grown Pacific octopus, which can reach 16 feet long and weigh 110 pounds.
Stop it with the animal selfies
Unfortunately, we've seen things somewhat similar before, and it always seems to come back to that need for photographic evidence. There was the bear selfie guy, this doofus, and this Einstein, perhaps at the highest level of stupidity. Just weeks ago we saw a young child flung through the air by a bison in Yellowstone, and it's even led to seemingly unnecessary public service announcements.
Can we just all agree, there's no point in risking your safety, or the safety of the wild animals, for that matter, for a stupid picture. Go lay in a pile of poison ivy if you want to be funny. You'll make everyone laugh then.
To her credit, Bisceglia did take the octopus home and cook it, a slight hint of revenge but also (hopefully) a sign of respect.
NEXT: VIDEO: GROUPER ABSOLUTELY OBLITERATES 4-FOOT SHARK
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