Terrifying Encounter at Aquarium: Curious Octopus Clings to Child, Leaving Mystery Behind Bruises

When the octopus saw Leo again, it started moving and changed color

She captured the animal clinging to the side of its tank, reservedly, until it laid eyes on her son.

The video shows the animal moving suddenly, spreading out, and changing from its customary terracotta to white.

“This behavior,” Taryn says into the camera, “is not normal.”

The aquarium insists that the octopus is not harmful

According to KSAT 12, Taryn has since reached out to the Texas State Aquarium which told her to take the matter to the United States Department of Agriculture whom she notified of her son’s “extensive suction bruises” and how “employees on-site downplayed the incident.”

@sanantonio_aquarium A creature out of this world! #Octopus #GiantPacificOctopus #Tentacle #Ocean #Marine #MarineBiology #Animals #DidYouKnow #Nature #WildFacts #Aquatic #Aquarium ♬ original sound – San Antonio Aquarium

While not addressing the issue directly, an employee of the aquarium posted a video on TikTok talking about an octopus named Cthulhu.

“I promise it’s not a cosmic cry for help … bruises or hickeys will disappear within seven to 14 days,” he said.

“They’re not harmful or anything like that.”

Peta is not happy with the facility

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Image credits: sanantonio_aquarium

Animal rights advocacy People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has since weighed in on the San Antonio aquarium incident, and it appears there is no love lost between the two.

“This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters are a recipe for disaster, as injuries abound when timid animals such as octopuses are denied everything natural and important to them and subjected to a barrage of grabbing hands.”

@sanantonio_aquarium Let’s talk about her suction cups! #Octopus #GiantPacificOctopus #Marine #MarineBiology #Ocean #Conservation #Nature #Animals #AnimalFacts #MarineBiologist ♬ Ocean – Soft boy

“For everyone’ssake,” the organization wrote on its website on August 1, “PETA is calling on the San Antonio Aquarium to stop forcing wild animals to interact with humans and release this octopus to her natural habitat, if possible, or an accredited facility where she can finally live in peace.”

Notably, an April 2 inspection found no instances of noncompliance.