Octopus caught on video catching fish, fish that flinches are punished with tentacle punch – Gigazen

Octopus isThey are very intelligent.It is known to have properties such as opening bottles and navigating mazes. It has been reported that such octopuses hunt with various fish.

Multidimensional social influence drives leadership and composition-dependent success in octopus and fish hunting groups | Ecology and Evolution
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02525-2

Octopuses and fish caught on camera while fishing as a team
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03127-5

Octopuses have been seen hunting fish and hitting fish that do not cooperate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/octopuses-hunt-with-fish-punch-video-rcna171705

Octopuses have never been seen hunting with fish.visionHowever, the relationship between the two has not been revealed yet.

A research team led by Eduardo Sampiano of the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior captured a total of 120 hours of footage while diving in the Red Sea. During the dive, Sampiano et al.American OctopusCaptures 13 specimens of small fish and mollusks caught in association with various fish.

S4 lq video – YouTube

According to the research team, the American octopus stayed in a specific place and gave instructions to the surrounding fish. “The surrounding fish present different options to the octopus, and the octopus seems to choose the best option,” Sampiano said.

Moreover, while hunting, the octopus sticks to the group without helping them find food.Red grouperIt was also confirmed that it struck a man with its claws. The research team noted that this behavior “may have been an attempt to punish fish that displayed opportunistic behavior or force them out of the school.”

Here is an example of an octopus actually punching a fish. The fish in the red frame stays on the reef and does not let go of the octopus.

The octopus, no longer able to see him, extends its tentacles and strikes the fish. The surprised fish backs away from the octopus.

I found a fish that had settled on the bottom of the ocean again.

Extend your claws and punch quickly.

According to Mr. Sampiano, the fish that get hit by octopuses are basically the ambush species that take the bait. “If the school stays still and all the fish leave the octopus, you’re going to get punched by the octopus, but if the school of fish is moving, it’s going to look for prey,” Sampiano said. “It’s not going to punch you anymore.”

“This study is very interesting and could help us better understand why groups of very different species – octopuses and fish – stick together in different environments,” said Hannah MacGregor, an animal behaviourist at the University of Cambridge.

As for future prospects, the research team said: “We plan to investigate whether the octopus can recognize fish that have previously shown opportunistic behavior and been punched.”