The Black Squid

arge octopus floor mosaic at Gumalimba Park, Roatan, Honduras

A house with Octopus decoration in Bandung, Indonesia

Ulisse Aldrovandi, Octopus, Animali, vol 4,16th century. Watercolor. Universita di Bologna

Their bites are tiny and often painless, and many don’t notice they’ve been bitten until respiratory depression and paralysis kicks in. People who have received a dose of tetrodotoxin can be fully aware of their surroundings, but unable to move, and with no way of signaling for help. There is no antivenom to its bite. However, if you hook yourself up to a ventilator to breathe for you for 15 hours, the effects of tetrodotoxin will wear off and you will survive with no side effects. Image: Yusran Abdul Rahman / Shutterstock

Zaqiel, Angel of Purity by Peter Mohrbacher

Ally Burke

who else am i supposed to be centred on