This octopus has a very special chauffeur: the fastest shark in the world

Is this a new alliance between marine species? According to images published by the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the octopus may have found the ideal chauffeur for its numerous travels.

While it's thought that relationships between the octopus and the shortfin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus (the fastest shark in the world) are rather hostile, between prey and predator, this event completely overturns our beliefs.

In December 2023, according to the description of their video, marine biologists witnessed a unique scene: an octopus climbing onto the back of a shortfin mako shark for a little oceanic ride, reports the media outlet Science et Vie. The event that has been named by specialists as "sharktopus" (a contraction of shark and octopus in English).

Unexpected discoveries

But how did an octopus, which is usually part of the shark's diet, manage to climb onto its back? How is it possible that a species living in the pelagic zone of the ocean and another on the seabed could have met? This question remains unanswered today...

And as the marine biology professor at the University of Auckland Rochelle Constantine says so well: “But the Ocean is full of unexpected things.”

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: Science et Vie - Illustration: ©Unsplash)