Prey Organisms
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/
Typical prey organisms include: Bivalves, small fish, crabs and some shrimp
Hunting strategies
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=403
Blue ringed octopus have shown a wide variety of hunting strategies depending on the organisms that they are stalking:
Bivalves: It ambushes the prey from the top and uses its powerful arms to break open the shell in order to get to the vulnerable flesh that is underneath. In some cases it is able to use it's beak in order to penetrate the shell and inject toxins into the organism to paralyze it and eat it easier.
Fish: In some rare cases it has been reported that octopus have used their tentacles to bait the fish close to them. Then they bite the fish in order to inject the poison and paralyze the fish. This is an advanced hunting strategy that has been rarely observed.
Crabs and Shrimp: They ambush the prey from behind and bite them in order to inject the poison. Then they are able to take their prey to a safe location in order to consume them.
Once they have caught their food they are able to sit on top of them to protect their meal. The location of their mouth being on the underside makes this possible.
Bivalves: It ambushes the prey from the top and uses its powerful arms to break open the shell in order to get to the vulnerable flesh that is underneath. In some cases it is able to use it's beak in order to penetrate the shell and inject toxins into the organism to paralyze it and eat it easier.
Fish: In some rare cases it has been reported that octopus have used their tentacles to bait the fish close to them. Then they bite the fish in order to inject the poison and paralyze the fish. This is an advanced hunting strategy that has been rarely observed.
Crabs and Shrimp: They ambush the prey from behind and bite them in order to inject the poison. Then they are able to take their prey to a safe location in order to consume them.
Once they have caught their food they are able to sit on top of them to protect their meal. The location of their mouth being on the underside makes this possible.
Toxins
http://www.life.umd.edu/grad/mlfsc/zctsim/Tetrodo.html
The blue ringed octopus has two types of venoms that it uses. One is for predators and the other is for prey. It is made in the salivary glands and injected into the organism when bitten. Maculotoxin is used on their prey organisms and is not harmful to humans (Crone 1976). The predatory toxin it releases is Tetrodoxin. In small doses, this toxin can cause mortality in an adult human being. Tetrodoxin is also found in species of cone snails and pufferfish. Both of these toxins effect the nerological pathway. They paralyze the animals they bite to make it easier to consume. These toxins can cause death by hypotension and respiratory failure.
The mechanism by which toxins are passed on through the bite in blue ringed octopus is not well understood. While the main production center in the body is the salivary gland, the rest of the body has these toxins in them as well (Yotsu-Yamashita, 2007). The toxin concentration can even be found in their eggs to provide a protection. (Hwang, 1989) Some scientists believe that this toxin is produced by a symbiotic relationship with bacteria found within the octopus (Williams, 2011).
The mechanism by which toxins are passed on through the bite in blue ringed octopus is not well understood. While the main production center in the body is the salivary gland, the rest of the body has these toxins in them as well (Yotsu-Yamashita, 2007). The toxin concentration can even be found in their eggs to provide a protection. (Hwang, 1989) Some scientists believe that this toxin is produced by a symbiotic relationship with bacteria found within the octopus (Williams, 2011).