A fisherman in the Philippines was caught in a terrifying struggle after an octopus he had just caught suddenly wrapped its arms around his face and refused to let go.
Angler Jesser Cervantes was fishing off Puerto Princesa Island in Palawan when he pulled the creature out of the water. The encounter quickly turned into a bizarre battle after the octopus clamped its powerful suckers onto his head.
Footage filmed on July 10 shows Cervantes sitting in a small wooden boat while desperately trying to remove the eight-armed creature from his face. The octopus can be seen spreading its arms across his head, with its suckers firmly gripping his skin.
At one point, the animal even covered his mouth, leaving the fisherman struggling to breathe and forcing him to pry its arms away one by one.
When the octopus continued refusing to release its grip, Cervantes grabbed a cut piece of bamboo and repeatedly tapped the creature in an attempt to loosen its hold.
After several tense moments, he eventually managed to pull the octopus away from his face. He then returned the creature to the water and took a moment to recover from the exhausting encounter.
“The octopus I caught was very hard to handle. It almost ripped my face,” Cervantes said.
The experienced fisherman claimed encounters like this are not particularly unusual, explaining that octopuses can become aggressive or cling tightly after being caught.
Octopuses are known for their powerful suckers and flexible bodies, which allow them to grip rocks, prey and other surfaces with considerable strength. Removing one can be difficult because each arm may remain firmly attached through hundreds of suckers.
The incident is not the first time an octopus has been filmed clinging to a person. In another incident in Russia last year, a diver reportedly struggled with an octopus after the creature latched onto his hands and upper body when its surroundings were disturbed.
The diver eventually managed to free himself after reaching the surface, although it was unclear whether he suffered any serious injuries.
The octopus in the latest footage is believed to be a common octopus, a species generally not considered dangerous to humans. They can grow to around 1.3 metres in length and weigh between approximately 6.6 and 22 pounds.
While octopuses are venomous, their venom is generally not considered lethal to humans.
