An octopus in a boy’s throat – while it sounds like the title of a bad horror movie, it is not. A doctor in Wichita, Kansas discovered a dead octopus in the throat of a 2-year-old boy, who was left in the care of Matthew Gallagher, his mother’s boyfriend.
An octopus was found in a boy’s throat, and the man, who was supposed to be caring for him has been arrested. On Tuesday night, a 21-year-old woman from Wichita, Kansas whose identity has not be revealed returned home from work where she made a shocking discovery.
The woman found her boyfriend, Matthew Gallagher, 36, performing CPR on her 2-year-old son. The little boy, who was having difficulty breathing and was barely conscious, was rushed to the hospital where doctors were baffled by what they saw.
The child had a dead baby octopus, which had a head of about 2 inches in diameter, stuck in his throat. It is believed that the octopus was supposed to be used for sushi, but it is not known how and why the child had the eight-arm creature into his throat. Doctors also noticed several bruises on the boy’s face.
According to Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza, Gallagher has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. The toddler is listed in critical condition. Mitchell Wagner, a neighbor, said that he was stunned to hear of the allegations, and added:
“I teach a lot of swim lessons with a lot of kids, shocking how someone could do that to kid it’s just strange the situation.”
According to experts, all octopuses are venomous, but only one group, the blue-ringed octopus, is known to be deadly to humans. Here are few more interesting facts about octopuses:
“Octopuses inhabit diverse regions of the ocean, including coral reefs, and the ocean floor. They have numerous strategies for defending themselves against predators, including the expulsion of ink, the use of camouflage and deimatic displays, their ability to jet quickly through the water, and their ability to hide. The giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, is often cited as the largest known octopus species. Adults usually weigh around 15 kg (33 lb), with an arm span of up to 4.3 m (14 ft).The largest specimen of this species to be scientifically documented was an animal with a live mass of 71 kg (156.5 lb).”
