Chromatophores begin to function during embryonic life. The ink gland is relatively small in size and is mainly used between the second and the fourth week of juvenile life. They pierce the carapace of their prey at the abdominal articulation and with the aid, apparently, of venom from their posterior salivary glands suck out the partially pre-digested tissues.

Juveniles begin to feed on pieces of crab within a week of hatching, and to kill and eat live crabs within a month. The young immediately assume a benthic habit and, within a few hours, consume the remnant of the yolk-sac which they carry with them from the egg. Development is direct there is no planktonic stage. Embryos reverse position within their capsules 1 week prior to hatching, and hatch at the distal end of the capsule, mantle-first. However, she can move froely with her clutch of eggs, conveying them individually or in clusters along her arms from one sucker to the next as occasion demands.

She assumes a brooding posture for the greater part of the time and cradles the eggs between her raised skirt and body. Eggs are not attached to a substratum but are carried by the mother throughout their embryonic life. This venomous octopus has several unique and interesting habits. The life cycle lasts approximately 7 months–4 months from hatching to maturity, 1 month from copulation to egg-laying, and an estimated 2 months for embryonic development. Eggs from a brooding female were bred through to the next generation. The life-history of the blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena maculosa (Hoyle) was observed in laboratory aquaria.

Blue-ringed octopus