Octopuses seen punching fish that don't cooperate on hunting trips in rare video
Wednesday 25 September 2024 09:50 BST
A new study has found that octopuses can actually work with other fish to hunt and will punch them if they do not cooperate.
The research, published in the journal Nature on Monday 23 September, suggests that the famously intelligent octopuses can organise the group’s decisions, including what they should prey upon.
Researchers witnessed the cephalopod species punching companion fish, apparently to keep them on task.
“I think sociality, or at least attention to social information, is way more deep-rooted in the evolutionary tree than we might think,” Eduardo Sampaio, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the lead author of the research, said.
“We are very similar to these animals.”
More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/lifestyle/octopus-punching-fish-video-research-b2618578.html
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The new study reveals that when hunting prey together, some octopus and fish species appear to share leadership
Nina Massey
Wednesday 25 September 2024 07:01 BST
Octopus seen hunting with fish and punching them if they don’t cooperate (EPA)
Octopuses are usually considered to be solitary creatures, but new research suggests they might sometimes socialise with fish in order to share the responsibility of hunting.
The findings broaden our understanding of the shared social life of octopuses and fish, scientists say.
In the past, the animals have been seen to hunt together for shared prey such as molluscs and crustaceans.
The new study sheds more light on this, revealing that when hunting prey together, some octopus and fish species appear to share leadership.
These findings expand our current understanding of what leadership is and what sociality is
Study authors
However, it is not always a harmonious group hunt, with the scientists observing aggression among group members, including fish displacing others by darting towards them, and octopuses punching some fish to the outer areas of the group.
More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/octopuses-punching-fish-hunting-together-b2618528.html