Marine mystery of octopus riding shark – YouTube
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An octopus has been spotted catching a ride from an unlikely marine friend: a superfast shark.
Researchers captured a video showing the orange-hued octopus clinging to the back Isurus oxyrinchus ) as it swims.
This “sharktopus”
“A large metallic grey dorsal fin signalled a big shark, a short-fin mako. But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury?” Rochelle Constantine wrote in a statement.
The researchers were bemused by this bizarre sight, as octopuses usually live on the ocean floor, while shortfin makos spend most of their time swimming near the surface.
“We really don’t know how this octopus, that lives on the seabed, came across this 3 m [meters, or 10 feet] mako shark that lives in pelagic — open ocean waters. It really is a mystery — but the ocean is filled with unexpected things,” Constantine told Live Science in an email.
Related: Searching for ‘Makozilla’ — the supersized mako sharks in the North Pacific
A aerial view of the octopus catching a ride on top of the shark. (Image credit: Wednesday Davis)
Shortfin mako sharks are the fastest shark species in the world leap up to 20 feet as 1,640 feet (500 m) sharks .
The researchers watched the strange “sharktopus” for 10 minutes before leaving the odd companions to continue their journey.
“The shark may not be bothered by the octopus — it certainly didn’t appear to be bothered as it swam along slowly,” Constantine said. “The octopus was keeping all of its tentacles together on the shark’s head, perhaps to avoid being seen but it could stay there while the shark was swimming slowly. I suspect the octopus would have dislodged if the shark swam faster.”
Shortfin mako sharks are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List
“One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea. By supporting conservation initiatives, we can help to ensure that such extraordinary moments keep happening,” Constantine said in the statement.
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