Mom shares son's suction-cup bruises from octopus attack at Texas aquarium

A six-year-old boy was attacked by an octopus at the San Antonio Aquarium, leaving the boy with “hickeys” covering his arm after the child reached into a touch tank. How did the sea animals let it go?

The boy’s mom, Britney Taryn shared the details of the incident that happened at the Antonio Aquarium, in viral Tik Tok videos.

The viral videos not only sparked buzz but also have been viewed over 3 million times so far.

Taryn narrated the incident that happened on July 14, in one of the videos, saying, “He (Leo) started saying, 'Mom, it’s not letting me go'," in one of the videos, adding that it took three adults to remove the animals from the youngster’s arm.

This shows the might of the giant Pacific octopus inside the aquarium, popularly known as Cthulhu. 

Taryn didn’t stop there; she shared some details of Leo’s arm, showing dark purple suction cup bruises from his wrist to his armpit, in the video on her TikTok account.

What's the Aquarium's version?

The San Antonio Aquarium responded, though indirectly, to the incident by posting two videos soon after the boy’s mother, Britney Taryn, posts went viral.

In response, an employee explained that giant Pacific Octopuses have been known to use their suction cups to move objects up to 700 pounds.

Although, the aquarium claimed that octopus bruises aren’t harmful and typically fade away within a week or two.

Regardless of the claims by the aquarium administration, the fact that Taryn’s videos have sparked a buzz online about the safety of kids’ encounters with animals like octopuses.

Taryn, Leo’s mother, is now using her viral fame to create awareness and speaking out for better animal care.