Britney Taryn has taken to TikTok after she and her son Leo (6) had a harrowing experience at a Texas aquarium when an octopus latched onto her boy and refused to let go.
The two had been visiting and touching the sea creature for three years without incident. After a hiatus from their routine, they returned to the facility and were awed by its size, to the point that Taryn checked with the staff to make sure it was the same Octopus.
- A San Antonio aquarium visit turned traumatic when an octopus latched onto 6-year-old Leo and wouldn’t let go.
- The octopus reportedly changed color and suddenly started moving when it saw the boy again later that day.
- PETA has condemned the aquarium’s animal encounter program, calling it a “recipe for disaster.”
Little Leo is now walking around with string suction bruises running the length of his right arm.
The octopus is known to suction onto visitors
Close-up of an octopus at the aquarium using its tentacles, related to octopus latching on incident with a child.
“This thing is huge,” Taryn said in the video posted on July 15, which has since been shared nearly 13,000 times.
“It had grown exponentially,” she said, sharing a picture of the large aquatic animal. “We even flagged down an employee to ask if it was the same octopus,” and received an affirmative answer.
“Every single time we’ve touched this octopus, it suctions onto him and then it releases,” her account continued.
Six-year-old boy interacts with reptiles at aquarium after incident with octopus latching onto him, leaving bruises.
She described the behaviour as “fun and cool” and claimed it had been doing that to everyone in the line before them, leaving them unprepared for what was about to happen next.
The octopus started climbing out of its tank while clinging to the boy
“My son is very level-headed when it comes to animals,” Taryn claimed. But this time around, Leo found himself at something of a misunderstanding with his favorite aquarium playmate.
“Mom, it’s not letting me go,” he called his mother with a demeanor she described as “way too calmly.”
Child at aquarium touching octopus that latches onto him, while woman speaks, highlighting octopus and aquarium interaction incident.
Taryn goes on to explain that she stepped in and tried to pull her son away from the animal, but it started climbing up its side of the glass and out while clinging to the boy .
“The reason we don’t have videos of this is because my friend,” who was in charge of filming the interaction, “was also freaking out.”
When an employee did arrive, he was nonplussed and described the animal as being “playful”
Child at aquarium holding an octopus tentacle while adults assist, illustrating octopus latch incident with bruises.
After struggling for a while, and her son’s attempts to peel away the octopus’s tentacles failed, Taryn, who would not touch the creature herself, noticed purple spots on her son’s skin and decided it was time to escalate the matter.
“I start yelling,” she said, claiming there were no employees present.
When, according to Taryn, one did show face, they came in a stroll and observed aloud that the eight-armed specimen was feeling rather “playful today.”
Bruised arm of 6-year-old showing marks after octopus latches onto him at aquarium, causing visible red spots and injuries.
The employee stood corrected about his “playful” assessment when he, too, could not pry Leo out of the creature’s grip.
Taryn watched as “more and more” tentacles “enveloped” her son
The employee summoned two assistants who came running with ice packs, which they placed on the octopus.
Throughout the fray, Taryn noticed how the creature “suctioned onto the employees ” and let go repeatedly, but clung to Leo for dear life.
@britneytaryn My son has visited the same octopus every week for 3 years. She always loved him until today, when she tried to pull him into the tank. It took 3 aquarium employees to get her off. Was it affection? Recognition? Or something more dangerous? We thought it was a sweet animal bond… until it left bruises. And when we walked back later, she changed color the second she saw him. 🎥 Watch til the end. 💬 Tell me: Was this love or a warning sign? 🧠 Octopus experts, weigh in. #Octopus #AquariumStory #AnimalBondGoneWrong #OctopusBehavior #SeaLife #AnimalInstinct #MarineBiology #ParentingTikTok ♬ original sound – Britney Taryn
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