Paul the “psychic” octopus has new cousins. While hunting for cephalopods among octopuses, scientists stumbled upon 4 new species of Octopus. Venom from species that live in sub-zero temperatures like octopus, squid and cuttlefish have a store house for cephalopods.

A team of researchers from Australian, Dutch and German universities also found a range of toxins, two of which had not previously been described.

The study follows from Dr Bryan Fry’s revelation last year that all octopuses are venomous. Dr Fry is from the Bio21 Institute.

The team has managed to collect venom from 203 octopuses from Antarctic waters. They then genetically profiled each specimen to identify the species and collected venom to analyse in the lab.

An understanding of the structure and mode of action of venom found in all octopuses may help design drugs for conditions like pain management, allergies and cancer, as per Dr Fry.