Can you imagine that any sea creature can go from one place to another by taking a lift from another creature?
The world of the sea is also strange. There are many creatures here, which humans have very little understanding of till now. At the same time, it is also difficult to understand their mutual relations. Can you imagine that a creature of the sea can go from one place to another by taking a lift from another creature. Scientists were surprised to see an octopus taking a lift during its journey.
In a video posted on social media, researchers saw an orange-colored Maori octopus clinging to the back of a large shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), which is considered one of the fastest sharks in the world. The footage, captured in December 2023 but shared this week, shows the “sharktopus” strolling comfortably in the Hauraki Gulf off the northern coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Rochelle Constantin, a marine ecologist at the University of Auckland, told the New York Times, “At first I thought: ‘Is this a buoy? Is it entangled in fishing gear or has it taken a big bite?'”
Drone monitored
Next, one of the technicians set up a drone to take a closer look which managed to capture the amazing footage. According to the researchers, what made this incident unusual was that octopuses are usually found on the sea floor, where short fin mako sharks rarely visit.
Octopus spotted riding on top of world’s fastest shark pic.twitter.com/631gtGK5eg
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Constantin said, “We moved on after 10 minutes, so I can’t tell you what happened next. However, the octopus must have had a lot of experience, as the world’s fastest shark species can reach speeds of 50 km per hour. The encounter with the sharktopus is a reminder of the wonders of the ocean. One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you can see next in the ocean.”
Users commented
As soon as the video went viral, social media users expressed surprise. Many people described the octopus as extremely smart for taking a lift from here to there in this way. One user said, “This octopus is very talented. Work smarter, not harder.” While another said, ‘Brother has booked an Uber for himself. The third commented, “You know when alien octopuses start participating in war by taming sharks, humanity is doomed.”
The researchers said it’s possible the octopus fell in and was quickly swallowed by the shark, but it’s equally possible the eight-armed traveler slid safely to the ocean floor because of the shallow water.
