Not every animal likes to work with others… especially the alone octopus. But never say never! Researchers have found that octopuses sometimes work with various fish to find their next meal. They can even be considered the “leader” of the group, as the octopus gives the fish-specific roles and rules to follow! Though octopuses have been spotted to work with fish before, it is still unclear what the relationship between them…can we be friends?
Several scientists have used synchronized cameras to collect over 120 hours of footage in the Red Sea (which lies between Africa and Asia)! In all the footage collected, over thirteen instances were caught of cross-species hunting together to find and capture smaller fish and mollusks. But not everyone is a team player! Some fish, like the blacktip groupers, tag along with the group without helping to find food. Hey, can’t hate the confident attitude to go for it but you have to pull your own weight…Octopuses are really intelligent, as they can “sense” who has not been helping. In the footage, the octopuses will sometimes “punch” these fish as a punishment or to get them to leave. Even though scientists may not fully understand this relationship, it is still important to see different animal species being able to work together for common goals. And this example teaches us an important lesson… If you join a group, you have to be able to work as a team!
References:
1) Sampaio, E., Sridhar, V.H., Francisco, F.A. et al. Multidimensional social influence drives leadership and composition-dependent success in octopus–fish hunting groups. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02525-2
