This should probably go without saying but handling any sort of exotic creature or wild animal with the potential to harm you is definitely inadvisable unless you're some sort of expert.

You certainly shouldn't be putting them anywhere near your face all for the sake of a photo. And yet, in this age of smartphones and social media, such instances are hardly uncommon.

This past Saturday, a woman who had been participating in a fishing derby in Washington decided to put an octopus on her face with disastrous consequences.

"I grabbed it off the hook and said, 'Take a picture for the photo contest,'" Bisceglia told the Huffington Post.

Unfortunately, for Bisceglia, what was supposed to be a 'fun photo' turned into a medical emergency after the octopus bit the woman, injecting her with venom.

"[My friends] noticed my face had changed," she recalled. "We couldn’t get the beak to dislodge - it was like a prong."

Bisceglia did eventually manage to free herself from the creature, but it then began bleeding profusely for about half an hour.

"There’s still a pus pocket and there’s a spot under my chin," she said.

As a result of the venomous bite, Bisceglia suffered a great deal of swelling and discomfort. And in spite of the evident seriousness of the injury, Bisceglia waited two days until the fishing derby was over before seeking medical attention.

"They took me in stat, but the IVs didn’t work and my arm swelled up like an elephant," she said.

"I want people not to do what I did," she added. "My advice is, know what you’re touching beforehand."

According to the Huffington Post, Bisceglia ending up boiling and grilling the creature before serving it in a salad - so I guess she ultimately had the last laugh.

Later this week, she will find out whether she has won the $100 photo contest. In the meantime, it's good to see Bisceglia has seen the funny side in all of this:

This should probably go without saying but handling any sort of exotic creature or wild animal with the potential to harm you is definitely inadvisable unless you're some sort of expert.

You certainly shouldn't be putting them anywhere near your face all for the sake of a photo. And yet, in this age of smartphones and social media, such instances are hardly uncommon.

This past Saturday, a woman who had been participating in a fishing derby in Washington decided to put an octopus on her face with disastrous consequences.

"I grabbed it off the hook and said, 'Take a picture for the photo contest,'" Bisceglia told the Huffington Post.

Unfortunately, for Bisceglia, what was supposed to be a 'fun photo' turned into a medical emergency after the octopus bit the woman, injecting her with venom.

"[My friends] noticed my face had changed," she recalled. "We couldn’t get the beak to dislodge - it was like a prong."

Bisceglia did eventually manage to free herself from the creature, but it then began bleeding profusely for about half an hour.

"There’s still a pus pocket and there’s a spot under my chin," she said.

As a result of the venomous bite, Bisceglia suffered a great deal of swelling and discomfort. And in spite of the evident seriousness of the injury, Bisceglia waited two days until the fishing derby was over before seeking medical attention.

"They took me in stat, but the IVs didn’t work and my arm swelled up like an elephant," she said.

"I want people not to do what I did," she added. "My advice is, know what you’re touching beforehand."

According to the Huffington Post, Bisceglia ending up boiling and grilling the creature before serving it in a salad - so I guess she ultimately had the last laugh.

Later this week, she will find out whether she has won the $100 photo contest. In the meantime, it's good to see Bisceglia has seen the funny side in all of this: