From the writer who brought you the 5 Most Horrifying Insects in the World comes The 6 Cutest Animals That Can Still Destroy You. Do not snuggle the platypus. Do not seek mystical knowledge from the dolphin. And for god’s sake, do not let the dingoes play with your baby.
I think the blue-ringed octopus should have made the list, too. All octopi (dammit, I refuse to use octopuses even though it’s apparently correct) have a poison bite, which mostly isn’t harmful to people, except for when it is. The blue-ringed octopus looks all pretty and squishy and spineless…until it sprays poison into the water, paralyzes crabs, and then eats them alive. The venom has the convenient side effect of also paralyzing and killing foolish people who try to snuggle it. Do not mess with the tiny pretty octopus.
Of course, as a cat owner, I’m totally aware that fuzzy adorable creatures can purr and knead and be adorable while secretly plotting to eat my eyeballs. But that’s ok, because cats are a) a lot smaller and weaker than me and b) really dumb c) domesticated! d) NOT POISONOUS.
Thanks to Sam for the link!
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Your title brought me in. I like the post; thank you.
Of course, crism maintains that the proper plural of octopus is octopodes as it comes originally from the greek, oktopous – eight footed.
Platypus? Dare I ask? They’re a little chubby for ninjas.
Octopussies?
Well, yeah, that could be a bit problematic.
Octopi it is then.
Since platypus and octopus are Latinized Greek words, they become subject to the rules of Latin grammar (grammar of a dead language that is very much alive), and since Latin has the Latin plurals polypi and coronopi for the Latinized Greek words polypus and coronopus (also with the -pus that is from the Greek word for “foot”), Latin allows platypi and octopi.