Octopuses caught on camera throwing things at each other...

[Michie]

Cephalopods living unusually close together have been filmed throwing shells, algae and silt — sometimes at another octopus.


For the first time, octopuses have been spotted throwing things — at each other1.

Octopuses are known for their solitary nature, but in Jervis Bay, Australia, the gloomy octopus (Octopus tetricus) lives at very high densities. A team of cephalopod researchers decided to film the creatures with underwater cameras to see whether — and how — they interact.

Once the researchers pulled the cameras out of the water, they sat down to watch more than 20 hours of footage. “I call it octopus TV,” laughs co-author David Scheel, a behavioural ecologist at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. One behaviour stood out: instances in which the eight-limbed creatures gathered shells, silt or algae with their arms — and then hurled them away, propelling them with water jetted from their siphon. And although some of the time it seemed that they were just throwing away debris or food leftovers, it did sometimes appear that they were throwing things at each other.

The team found clues that the octopuses were deliberately targeting one another. Throws that made contact with another octopus were relatively strong and often occurred when the thrower was displaying a uniform dark or medium body colour. Another clue: sometimes the octopuses on the receiving end ducked. Throws that made octo-contact were also more likely to be accomplished with a specific set of arms, and the projectile was more likely to be silt.

Continued below.
Duck! Octopuses caught on camera throwing things at each other

 

[timewerx]

This is probably where Kung Fu legends learned to throw sand at their opponents' faces.

P.S. The one on the left is female. It's probably a form of self-defense against unwanted advances by creepy males.

It's probably their version of the mace!!

 

[chevyontheriver]

Cephalopods living unusually close together have been filmed throwing shells, algae and silt — sometimes at another octopus.


For the first time, octopuses have been spotted throwing things — at each other1.

Octopuses are known for their solitary nature, but in Jervis Bay, Australia, the gloomy octopus (Octopus tetricus) lives at very high densities. A team of cephalopod researchers decided to film the creatures with underwater cameras to see whether — and how — they interact.

Once the researchers pulled the cameras out of the water, they sat down to watch more than 20 hours of footage. “I call it octopus TV,” laughs co-author David Scheel, a behavioural ecologist at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. One behaviour stood out: instances in which the eight-limbed creatures gathered shells, silt or algae with their arms — and then hurled them away, propelling them with water jetted from their siphon. And although some of the time it seemed that they were just throwing away debris or food leftovers, it did sometimes appear that they were throwing things at each other.

The team found clues that the octopuses were deliberately targeting one another. Throws that made contact with another octopus were relatively strong and often occurred when the thrower was displaying a uniform dark or medium body colour. Another clue: sometimes the octopuses on the receiving end ducked. Throws that made octo-contact were also more likely to be accomplished with a specific set of arms, and the projectile was more likely to be silt.

Continued below.
Duck! Octopuses caught on camera throwing things at each other

They only do that for the cameras. In reality they are plotting use the cameras to watch the humans.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Um, maybe mating season or ... a marriage partner for life? jk jk

“The environment for these specific octopuses is such that they have this interaction between individuals,” she says. “It’s communication, in a way.”​