Octopuses are smart animals, that much we know. They have large and well-developed brain as well as complex nervous system. Scientists have observed octopuses use tools and solve complex problems like opening the lids of containers and unlocking latches to get at food inside. They're high social and can communicate with each other. They can even collaborate with other predatory fish when they hunt.
A new observation by Eduardo Sampaio and colleagues has now shown that octopuses can also be a bit of a jerk: they recorded multiple events where different Octopus cyanea off the coast of Egypt were seen punching fishes, sometimes for no reason at all!
Sampaio noted that during collaborative hunting, there were times where the octopuses had good reasons to punch their partner fish, for example to gain advantage over them while catching a prey, to forcibly relocate a fish to a less advantageous position in the group, or even to permanently ban a partner fish.
But there were also instances where the octopuses seemed to punch a fish out of spite with no immediate benefit. Sampaio wrote that "punching could be a case of spite (no emotional connotation), used to impose a cost on the fish regardless of self-cost, for example, after defection (stealing prey) by a usually collaborative partner."
#octopus #animalbehavior #cephalopod #animalintelligence #hunting #cephalopod #marinebiology
Video: Sampaio E, et al.
Multi-species hunting group consisting of an octopus (Octopus cyanea), yellow-saddle goatfish (Parupeneus cyclostomus), a smooth cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii), and a blacktip grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus).
Sequence of images showing the octopus punching (white arrows) its yellow-saddle goatfish partner fish during collaborative hunting.