Animals & nature · 2024
Do octopuses sometimes punch the fish they hunt with?
Yes. In wild hunting groups of Octopus cyanea and several fish species, researchers reported punching as a way of controlling hunting partners. Which species were present affected this behavior and how the group acted, but the abstract does not establish that the octopus was angry or intended to punish a fish.
Details
Researchers used three-dimensional tracking in the wild and field experiments to study how usually solitary Octopus cyanea hunted alongside several fish species. The makeup of a group changed individual effort and collective action, triggering partner-control behavior such as punching and bringing benefits to the octopus. The abstract does not specify those benefits or give a detailed account of which situations prompted punching.
This behavior occurred within a group whose members had different kinds of influence. Fish, especially goatfish, guided where the group explored, while the octopus determined whether and when it moved. Leading therefore involved both encouraging movement and holding it back, rather than directing every decision.
The octopus also adjusted flexibly to the actions of other species. The researchers interpreted this as signs of an ability to manage social interactions and process information. That interpretation does not establish a particular emotion or punitive intention behind a punch, and these findings concern the mixed-species hunting groups studied—not all octopuses and fish.
What do you think?
Good conversations begin with curiosity.
You can read comments without an account. Sign in to write.
Loading comments…