The incredible footage below shows a giant Pacific octopus successfully attacking and killing an unsuspecting spiny dogfish shark at an aquarium in Seattle.
Octopuses are generally prey to these sharks, but this octopus wasn’t having any of that. The murderous cephalopod had been sharing an aquarium with several dogfish sharks until staff kept finding the dead, mutilated bodies of the fish at the bottom of the tank.
To understand what was happening, they decided to film the interactions to see what was going on.
It turns out that the octopus had been killing all of the dogfish sharks that entered the tank.
From then on, it was decided that the sharks would enjoy life in a different tank entirely. Probably for the best.
The Giant Pacific octopus consumes a variety of prey, including clams, crabs, fish, small sharks, seabirds (yes, seabirds) and other octopuses. They generally hunt at night, using their tentacles to restrain their prey while they puncture and tear the prey’s flesh with their sharp beak.
Once the octopus has had its fill, it will discard the shell (if its prey had one) and stacks it in a pile outside of its den. This collection of shells is known as an octopus’s garden, and it acts as a stabilizer for their den.
Despite their crafty nature, the species faces serious threats from fishing, as they tend to get caught in commercial fishing pots and nets. And, octopuses are particularly vulnerable to a changing climate. Because they rely on oxygen to maintain their eyesight, they could potentially start losing part — if not all — of their vision as low-oxygen zones in our oceans continue to spread.
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