Octopuses are leaders of fish, but it seems theyd rather be feared than loved.
Many animals engage in cross-species cooperation when it comes to hunting.
Despite octopuses generally being seen as solitary creatures, recent research has revealed they often form partnerships to hunt.
This octopus is not having any that fish nonsense today.© Eduardo Sampaio, Simon Gingins
Rather than team up with other octopuses, however, they team up with several different types of fish.
Scientists have uncovered the secrets of multispecies hunting!
Its a relationship thats worked out swimmingly for both parties.
Octopuses getting pugilistic isnt anything new.
Again,octopuses were seen punching some of their underwater neighbors.
The blow could be a way to promote collaborative behavior by punishing a fish for misbehaving during a hunt.
Or, they wrote, its possible the octopuses hit a fish for no reason other than spite.
The new study built on that research, further delving into the complexities of the cross-species relationships.
Goatfish, for example, were great at scouting spots with potential prey.
The octopuses ultimately had the final say on whether the group would move and when.
The fish did, however, sometimes display similar behavior toward each other.
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