- Staff
- #1
I’ve been browsing fish lately being sold online by legal, Licensed dealers / importers / breeders.
Usually dangerous animals require a license here, land based things with venom or powerful natural weapons are considered to be something the public shouldn’t access without legal procedures.
This does not extend to sealife, unless it’s a mammal or reptile.
This is a Volitans lionfish that is sold online legally.

Its venom affects the cardiovascular system. There are no recorded, confirmed deaths however hospitalisation from lionfish stings is relatively common.
The blue ringed octopus is also legal without a license, that can potentially kill you in 20-30 minutes from point of bite. It’s venom attacks over 30 organs and systems in your body, causing paralysis, convulsions, and death. Furthermore, this octopus can climb out of the water and out of their tank and survive a fair amount of time outside the tank, they can also squeeze through tiny gaps on account of a lack of a skeleton. I could not find any for sale as fish dealers do not want to sell them, however I have seen one for sale before in the U.K.
There are certain reptiles with similar and even less extreme venoms and less effective means of injecting venom into people that you can’t own without a license, yet deadly sea creatures seem to get an A-OK from a legal standpoint.
Furthermore I have found stores online selling electric Eels, etc.
Pirahnas are also very common but those aren’t particularly dangerous.
Usually dangerous animals require a license here, land based things with venom or powerful natural weapons are considered to be something the public shouldn’t access without legal procedures.
This does not extend to sealife, unless it’s a mammal or reptile.
This is a Volitans lionfish that is sold online legally.

Its venom affects the cardiovascular system. There are no recorded, confirmed deaths however hospitalisation from lionfish stings is relatively common.
The blue ringed octopus is also legal without a license, that can potentially kill you in 20-30 minutes from point of bite. It’s venom attacks over 30 organs and systems in your body, causing paralysis, convulsions, and death. Furthermore, this octopus can climb out of the water and out of their tank and survive a fair amount of time outside the tank, they can also squeeze through tiny gaps on account of a lack of a skeleton. I could not find any for sale as fish dealers do not want to sell them, however I have seen one for sale before in the U.K.
There are certain reptiles with similar and even less extreme venoms and less effective means of injecting venom into people that you can’t own without a license, yet deadly sea creatures seem to get an A-OK from a legal standpoint.
Furthermore I have found stores online selling electric Eels, etc.
Pirahnas are also very common but those aren’t particularly dangerous.