Scientists in New Zealand had to do a double take and send up a drone after they spotted an octopus riding on top of a shark.
Researchers from the University of Auckland spotted the orangey-brown octopus sitting atop a mako shark as it swam through the waters of the Hauraki Gulf.
“At first, I was like, ‘Is it a buoy?’” Dr. Rochelle Constantine, a marine ecologist, tells The New York Times. “‘Is it entangled in fishing gear or had a big bite?’”
Technician Wednesday Davis sent up a drone to capture aerial footage after the team spotted the unusual happening. Meanwhile, a GoPro was dropped in the water to film from beneath the waves.
The incident occurred during a December 2023 expedition to monitor animals in the Harurak Gulf which is close to Kawau Island.
“A large metallic grey dorsal fin signaled a big shark, a short-fin mako. But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury? We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water, and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark’s head, clinging on with its tentacles,” writes Dr. Constantine in an article for the University of Auckland.
The team identified the octopus as a Maori octopus which can stretch up to 6.5 feet and weighs roughly 26 pounds. The Times notes they are the largest octopus in the Southern Hemisphere.
“You can see it takes a fair amount of real estate on the shark’s head,” adds Dr. Constantine.
There is some debate over whether the shark was aware that it had a passenger onboard since the cephalopod looked as if it was trying to stay incognito. But, the shark has apparently sensory organs all over its body and so was likely aware of the eight-legged creature’s presence.
More confusing is how the pair ever ended up together in the first place. Maori octopuses live on the seafloor and don’t come to the surface. Although mako sharks do dive to over 1,000 feet, they don’t often make it to the seabed.
“It makes no sense that these two animals should be at the same place and time to encounter each other,” Dr. Constantine says. “We have no idea how they found each other.”
Image credits: University of Auckland
