Britney Taryn recently took to TikTok to recount a terrifying experience she and her six-year-old son, Leo, had at a Texas aquarium—an incident that started off as a fun family outing but quickly turned into something out of a horror movie. The unsettling encounter involved an octopus that latched onto little Leo and refused to let go, leaving him with bruises and emotional scars.

For three years, Britney and her son had been visiting the same San Antonio aquarium. One of their favorite activities was interacting with the resident octopus. Every visit, Leo would gently touch the creature, and the octopus would briefly suction onto him before releasing—something they both thought was playful and harmless. It was a tradition they enjoyed—until one day, it wasn’t.

On this particular visit, the mother and son were immediately struck by the creature’s size. Britney was so surprised, she asked an aquarium employee if this was the same octopus they’d seen in past years. The employee confirmed that it was. “This thing is huge,” Britney said in a video posted on July 15, which quickly gained traction online with nearly 13,000 shares. She posted a photo of the now-enormous sea creature, explaining how its growth had startled them.

Up until that day, every interaction with the octopus had been uneventful. “It suctions onto him and then it releases,” Britney said. She even recalled how the animal had been doing the same thing with other visitors in line, giving no sign that anything might go wrong.

But things took a dark turn. While Leo was interacting with the octopus as he normally would, the animal suddenly clung to his arm and wouldn’t let go. “Mom, it’s not letting me go,” Leo said with surprising calmness. Britney, sensing something was wrong, rushed over and attempted to pull her son away. That’s when the octopus started climbing up the glass of its tank—while still firmly attached to Leo.

Unfortunately, the encounter wasn’t recorded because Britney’s friend, who was supposed to film, was panicking just as much as she was. Britney frantically searched for staff members to help, but said no one was nearby. When an employee finally did arrive, he strolled over casually and described the octopus as simply being “playful.” That assessment didn’t hold up for long.

Despite the employee’s initial dismissive attitude, he was unable to free Leo from the creature’s grip. As Britney watched in horror, more and more tentacles began to wrap around her son’s arm. Purple suction marks had already begun to appear on his skin. The employee called for backup, and two more staff members rushed over with ice packs, which they applied directly to the octopus. The creature briefly suctioned onto the employees and then released, but clung to Leo with surprising intensity.

“The tentacles just kept wrapping around him,” Britney said. The staff finally managed to pry the animal off, though Britney didn’t detail exactly how. Despite the ordeal, Leo was so concerned about the octopus that he asked to return to the aquarium later that same day. He wanted to make sure his “friend” was okay.

But what happened next unsettled Britney even further. When they returned and stood near the tank, the octopus, which had been clinging quietly to the glass, suddenly began to move. It stretched out and dramatically changed color—from a deep terracotta to a pale white—as soon as it saw Leo. “This behavior is not normal,” Britney said in another TikTok video, visibly shaken.

Since then, Britney has contacted the Texas State Aquarium for advice and was directed to report the incident to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She submitted a complaint, describing the “extensive suction bruises” on her son’s arm and criticizing how staff on-site had downplayed the seriousness of the situation.

Meanwhile, the aquarium has not made a formal statement regarding the specific incident. However, one employee did post a TikTok video referencing an octopus named Cthulhu, assuring viewers that suction marks were harmless and would fade within a week or two. “They’re not dangerous or anything like that,” he said. His tone didn’t sit well with viewers who had seen Britney’s post, many of whom criticized the aquarium for its lack of urgency and compassion.

Animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) quickly weighed in, issuing a sharp condemnation of the San Antonio Aquarium’s interactive animal programs. In a statement on their website dated August 1, PETA declared: “This slimy facility’s exploitative encounters are a recipe for disaster, as injuries abound when timid animals such as octopuses are denied everything natural and important to them and subjected to a barrage of grabbing hands.”

They went on to call for the immediate end of forced human-animal interactions at the facility, urging the aquarium to release the octopus back into the wild if possible—or at least transfer it to an accredited sanctuary where it can live in peace.

To be fair, the San Antonio Aquarium passed its last inspection on April 2, with no reported violations. However, Britney’s account has raised questions about whether such inspections adequately reflect what actually happens during guest-animal encounters.

Leo is now walking around with bruises running the length of his arm, reminders of a day that started with excitement and ended in fear. His mother, once an enthusiastic supporter of interactive exhibits, now questions the safety and ethics behind allowing young children to have hands-on access to unpredictable animals. “We thought it was a cool thing. Now I’m just angry,” she said.

What was once a joyful tradition for Britney and her son has turned into a cautionary tale—one that raises deeper concerns about how facilities handle live-animal encounters, the preparedness of staff, and the very real risks of treating wild creatures like playthings.

As the video continues to circulate online, drawing widespread reactions, one thing is clear: this story isn’t going away anytime soon. Whether or not it brings lasting changes to how aquariums structure their interactive programs remains to be seen—but for now, Britney Taryn and little Leo will think twice before reaching out to touch another octopus.