Octopus Catches and Drowns a Seagull

Kraken attacking ship. Illustration by Pierre Denys de Montfort. Public Domain.

Before we had cameras, satellites, scuba gear, submarines, the internet, and a plethora of other modern amenities, sailors at sea worried about more than just seasickness and rogue waves. Throughout history, we have told tales of enormous sea monsters lurking in the deepest reaches of the ocean, and none are more captivating than the tentacled kind. From Krakens to Cthulhus, giant octopi and squids are not far removed from reality, since they actually do exist.

However, in real life, they’re probably not going to drag any ships beneath the waves…

Take a guess, Majestic sea monster or octopus eating a seagull?

…but they can take down smaller targets. In the Richmond River in northern New South Wales, Australia, a small octopus manages to grab a seagull feeding on french fries/chips and drag it to watery grave.

Watch the action unfold in the video below.

Now, you might be wondering, what is the motivation for this merciless attack? We’re not sure. While the video is titled “Octopus catches and eats a sea gull”, we’re not so sure about the “eating” part. The octopus doesn’t appear to eat the seagull after drowning it. Perhaps, the octopus has a prejudice against seagulls, or perhaps, it’s the spawn of Cthulhu, fresh out of R’lyeh.

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