Octopuses: The CEOs of the ocean floor

Octopuses have long been thought to avoid other members of their species and prowl solo across the ocean floor using camouflage.

But, according to a study published this week, some octopuses have surprisingly rich social lives, in which they lead hunting groups containing multiple species of fish.

How it works: Various animals appear to have distinct roles in the operation, with the octopus serving as group leader, according to ~120 hours of underwater footage captured by scientists from Germany’s Max Planck Institute.

• One of the octopus’ biggest helpers is a species of fish called the blue goatfish, who explore new crevices and show the octopus where to find prey by hovering over the area or moving back-and-forth from it.
• Other species of fish, like blacktip groupers, aren’t quite as helpful and sometimes hang around waiting for others to do the work – in which case they often receive a swift octopus punch to the gills for freeloading (seriously).

The motivations: While the octopus earns obvious benefits, the arrangement also helps out the fish, since prey sometimes escapes the octopus and is flushed into their waiting arms flippers. Per the researchers, both octopuses and fish increase their catch rates of crustaceans, fish, and molluscs by participating in the hunting groups.

👑 That’s Chief Octopus to you: Dr. Eduardo Sampaio, the study’s lead author, says the octopus’ role in the hunting groups resembles that of a CEO, while the fish act more like a research and development team.