Viral Video Shows Octopus “Encounter” Gone Wrong in San Antonio

A mom says a giant octopus latched onto her kid and wouldn’t let go, and the video has the internet spiraling.

If you’ve been on TikTok this week, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the video where a 6-year-old boy is left covered in suction bruises after a giant Pacific octopus allegedly “attacked” him at the San Antonio Aquarium.

The viral videos, posted by mom Britney Taryn, show her son Leo just moments after the creature clung to his little arm and refused to let go. You can see the purple bruises that stretch from his wrist to his armpit.

The craziest part was that Leo wasn’t even freaking out.

“He was calm the whole time,” Britney said in a follow-up. “He loves animals and knows so much about octopuses. But still… it wouldn’t let go.”

Incident sparks major concerns for the octopus.

The encounter, which happened on July 14, has now exploded across TikTok, with two of Britney’s videos passing a million views each and climbing. And honestly, people are more shocked by Leo.

TikTok comments are flooding in on the original video:

"The people who put an animal as intelligent and sensitive as an octopus in a PETTING TANK is criminal behavior"

 

"octopuses are highly intelligent and I'd be questioning the ethics of the aquarium for keeping an octopus in a touch pool, which is arguably a high-traffic, high-stress environment."

 

"As a newly wildlife science graduate, my best guess is that this octopus is displaying zoochosis. Since octopuses are intelligent, it probably did recognize your son and got excited since it kind of sounds like the zookeepers aren’t taking the best care of it/arent well educated in this specific species. My best recommendation would be to petition for the tank to not be a touch tank anymore because of the size or if the octopus needs to be in captivity have the enclosure expresses a more natural environment"

 

"I don’t think people need a degree to understand the octopus 🐙 is way too big for all that ngl 😂"

But here’s the interesting part: visitors are allowed to touch the octopus. It’s promoted as a hands-on “encounter” experience on the aquarium’s website. Usually, Britney says, a staff member would supervise, but that day, no one was around.

And when someone finally did show up, she says they laughed it off and called the octopus “playful.” Cute, right? Not so much when your 6-year-old has bruises halfway up his arm.

A few hours after the incident, Leo and his mother went back to check on the octopus. When the octopus saw Leo, he turned white and moved closer to him.

The Aquarium Posted a Video… and Made It Worse

Adding fuel to the fire, days after Britney’s video blew up, the San Antonio Aquarium posted their own TikTok of an octopus named Cthulhu. The video showed off Cthulhu's suction cups and joked about bruises.

“I promise it’s not a cosmic cry for help ... bruises or hickeys will disappear within seven to 14 days,” the employee says in the video. “They’re not harmful or anything like that.”

Now the Mom’s Digging Deep

After the encounter, Britney reached out to the Texas State Aquarium, filed a complaint with the USDA, and even contacted U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro.

Britney also uncovered some pretty eye-raising facts like how the San Antonio Aquarium is not accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and how octopuses aren’t even covered under the Animal Welfare Act.

“I’m just worried something worse is going to happen. ... I don’t want anything to happen to any more kids, any adults,” she said. “I don’t want anything to happen to the octopus. So we’re just trying to help."