Scientists Capture Footage Of Octopuses And Fishes Hunting Cooperatively

A team of scientists have captured footage of octopuses and fishes hunting cooperatively for smaller sea creatures in the Red Sea. This behavior is typically seen in octopuses hunting alone, but the new clips show different species working together to find food more effectively. The study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution describes the complex, social, multispecies cooperation from simple exploitative actions to complex coordinated networks.

In the footage, fishes act as guides for the octopuses, finding appropriate prey and flagging the location for them to extract. Different species of fishes and octopuses in the clips demonstrate shared leadership and the ability to adapt and respond depending on the situation. The researchers suggest that these animals, particularly octopuses, show signs of cognition and sentience similar to humans, indicating a closer connection than previously thought.