Wild octopus caught 'punching' fish for 'not cooperating' in astonishing footage

A stunning video has captured the moment an octopus throws a punch at a fish for "not cooperating with it". The footage comes after a new study revealed that octopuses don't always hunt alone, but instead, some are believed to prowl the seafloor hunting alongside fish.

The Octopus cyanea, often known as the big blue or day octopus, is frequently seen organising hunting groups, calling the shots and deciding what they should prey on, according to the Nature on Monday journal. One video shows the cephalopod species punching its companion fish to keep it focused on the task at hand.

This behaviour is a stark contrast to how scientists have traditionally thought octopuses hunt, often perceived as solitary creatures that use camouflage to attack their prey. The octopuses are also believed to have rich social lives.

The study suggests that at least one species of octopus displays characteristics and markers of intelligence typically considered a trait among vertebrates, NBC News reports. Postdoctoral researcher Eduardo Sampaio, from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, led the study into the octopuses.

He believes the creatures are "a very close level" or "closer than we think" to humans. In an effort to better understand the lives of octopuses, the researchers spent about a month diving at a reef off the coast of Eilat, Israel.

They tracked 13 octopuses for around 120 hours using several cameras.

During their observations of 13 hunts, researchers saw groupings of two to 10 fish coordinating with each octopus. They noticed octopuses punching fish not only for cooperation purposes but also to keep them on the move.

A typical hunting party included a mix of reef fish species such as grouper and goatfish. Although the octopuses did not seem to play the leader's role, they were observed throwing punches at fish to maintain social dynamics.

Sampaoi noted: "The ones that get more punched are the main exploiters of the group. These are the ambush predators, the ones that don't move, don't look for prey."

"If the group is very still and everyone is around the octopus, it starts punching, but if the group is moving along the habitat, this means that they're looking for prey, so the octopus is happy. It doesn't punch anyone."

Its believed that fish gain an advantage by collaborating with the octopus, which can squeeze into tight spots potentially hiding prey. On the flip side, the octopus benefits from the fish guiding it to food, saving it from speculative hunting efforts.

Researchers deduced that the blue goatfish acts as a scout, sniffing out prey and steering the group, yet it is the octopus that ultimately calls the shots. Their study also indicated that there was no sharing of spoils between the group members.

The species, known for hunting mostly crustaceans, fish, and mollusks, provides a meal to whoever manages to catch it. However, researchers have yet to determine if certain octopuses prefer specific fish as hunting partners.

Sampaio notes that there are still unanswered questions about whether an octopus can recognise individual fish or if they simply choose a particular species. It's also not clear if group hunting is a natural behaviour or one that is learned.

The researcher leans towards the idea that it's a learned behaviour, observing that younger octopuses often struggle to collaborate with the fish. This phenomenon is linked by some scientists to the "social brain hypothesis," which suggests that animals developed larger brains to handle social interactions and teamwork.