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To what extent are octopi violent towards humans? Has there been any confirmed fatalities? The source of all knowledge claims that some have the capacity to kill humans, and claims there have been documented instances of attacks but doesn't list any sources.

I found this wiki.answers.com claiming humans have been poisoned by octopi. Also I'm interested if the altercation was provoked

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  • if you eat a live one they can get stuck in your throat and suffocate you
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Mar 16, 2014 at 22:09
  • People can die from choking while eating sannakji. Those would technically count as fatalities caused by octopuses; but I'm pretty sure that's not what you're asking. Wikipedia cites a Korean news article reporting a person who choked from the dish (he was saved by medical personnel). The article also seems to mention another incident where a person died from the dish, but it may be just the bad translation by Google.
    – user18257
    Commented Mar 17, 2014 at 15:33

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The question about the extent of octopuses being violent is off-topic here.

Have octopuses have fatally envenomated humans?

Yes. In 1954, Kirk Dyson-Holland was killed after picking up (what was later identified as) a blue-ringed octopus. Another man died in 1962.

In Australia, octopus attacks are rarely seen in hospitals and rarely cause deaths in scuba-divers.

School children in Australia are now warned against them, which may explain the lack of reports in the last 50 years.

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