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A man was attacked by the “furious octopus” off the coast of Western Australia.
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Lance Karlson was whipped by the creature and left pungent red marks.
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He treated the wounds with Coca-Cola and now he’s fine.
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A father was attacked for what he described as the “furiest octopus” off the coast of Western Australia on March 18.
Lance Karlson, a geologist and former lifeguard, was at Geographe Bay in Dunsborough with his two-year-old daughter when he spotted the creature in the shallow water, initially thinking it was a stingray hitting a seagull.
Karlson filmed some images of the octopus and posted on Instagram, which has been viewed more than 221,000 times.
“The octopus attacked us, which was a real shock,” he told Insider.
“My reaction to the first meeting I shot was shocked, followed by fascination. I hadn’t found an octopus so close before, so at the time, I was quite intrigued. Remember that I was with my daughter, and I think any father would identify with being more protective of her than fearing the threat, “said Karlson.
The ex-lifeguard left the octopus alone and went to set up a tent further down the beach for his wife and daughter.
About 20 minutes later, Karlson was swimming in the sea on his own (having swam there “many times” before) when the octopus came back – while looking at the crab shells in the water about 1.5 meters deep, Karlson was whipped on your left arm.
“My glasses got foggy, the water was suddenly cloudy and I remember being shocked and confused,” he said. “I was then hit a second time, harder, on the neck and upper back. I can only describe it as a ‘whipping’ sensation followed by a sting.”
When threatened, octopuses squirt an ink-like substance, and Karlson believes he may have been unknowingly in the creature’s home.
He swam back to shore, about 25 meters away, but the encounter left Karlson with red marks in relief on his arm, neck and upper back.
Karlson, who has been a geologist for 13 years, and his family hurried back to the hotel room in search of something acidic for their wounds – without finding vinegar. They were content with Coca-Cola.
“I didn’t really know if Coke would work, but because it is acidic, I decided it was worth a try,” he said. “It turns out it works.”
He did not go to the doctor and confirmed in his Instagram stories that he is now well, with the pain and marks lasting only a few days.
Despite the shock of Karlson’s attack, Bryan Fry, an associate professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland, told CNN that octopuses generally do not pose a risk to humans.
“Like all octopuses, it is poisonous, but like most, it is harmless to humans, with the poisons dramatically more potent in invertebrates like shellfish and lobsters,” he said.
Karlson’s experience made headlines around the world, much to his surprise.
As a geology student, Karlson attended Cornell University in a year of student exchange in 2007-2008. “I remember being asked on many occasions by other students about the Australian animals that regularly make headlines in the USA – our deadly snakes, spiders, great white sharks and crocodiles – I could never have imagined appearing in one of these articles!” he said.
Karlson expects people to respond to his story with intrigue and fascination, rather than fear.
“These are truly remarkable and highly intelligent creatures that clearly have some very strong emotions,” he said. “I think I just found one on a day when he woke up on the wrong side of the bed!”
Read the original article on Insider