Scientists Say Octopuses Sometimes Punch Fish for No Clear Reason Other Than Being Annoyed

Scientists confirm that octopuses sometimes punch fish for no clear reason other than being annoyed, but the reason why they got annoyed in the first place is the key to understanding this behavior. It may sound random, but remember, octopuses are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.

These living beings are curious and clever creatures, so when they do something extraordinary, scientists always want to try to find out why. In one particular study, during a hunt, researchers were able to observe octopuses punching fish or throwing jabs at them without any obvious reason beyond seeming annoyance or frustration. But after diving deeper, the scientists have finally understood this phenomenon.

Unprovoked Jabs During Cooperative Hunts

Dr. Eduardo Sampaio and his team at the Max Planck Institute studied 13 instances of octopus–fish hunting parties. These cooperative hunts are multi-species collaborations where creatures like octopuses will team up with fish species to find and capture prey.

However, this is also where they observed octopuses punching fish because they got annoyed at them. The reason for this behavior is most likely attributed to that specific fish slacking off during the hunt, or getting too close to them, resulting in the octopus throwing jabs.

This is not a defensive mechanism where the octopus is trying to protect itself, but rather scientists believe that the punches occur when fish don’t cooperate or disturb the hunting flow, suggesting the octopus is enforcing hunting rules or expressing annoyance.

If you are trying to survive and find food, then one member of your party slacks off or does something that affects the hunt negatively, you might also get annoyed at them to the point that you might throw a punch or two. What we are trying to say is that the octopus is not evil for doing it; they just simply expressed themselves.

Read more: Science Focus

Not Just Aggression—Enforcement of Group Dynamics

Octopus seen punching fish to keep them in line

Researchers call this a “partner-control mechanism” that is used by octopuses, who are far superior in intellect to most fish species. So, when the fish do not cooperate properly, the octopus steps in to push them back into formation, which ensures the hunt remains effective for all the other species participating.

Another reason why the scientists think that it is not random is that when the hunt is doing great, the punches rarely occur, but when it stalls or is disturbed, it will become frequent. This behavior showcases that the punches, even though they stem from annoyance, are strategic and utilized for organizational purposes.

Annoyance or Strategy?

There are some arguments that state that the punches are really out of spite, and not to organize the group during cross-species hunts. Yet, other scientists who are very familiar with the octopus’s intelligence suggest that this is not just due to them being annoyed.

The right answer may be a mix of both arguments; the octopuses punching fish is a calculated response to enforce cooperation, but also their way of expressing themselves to the other species, especially when those species get in their way.

Read more: National Geographic

What This Reveals About Octopus Intelligence

The ability to use their arms to punch a fish is already a new and effective display of intelligence by itself. But if it could be proven with more evidence that they do it to express annoyance, or to coordinate a large group of species during a hunt, then they might be even smarter than we originally thought they were.

The octopus’s ability to punch fish for cohesion or social enforcement hints that they can do multi-species communication, have situational judgment, and express emotions. Scientists thought before that they were solitary creatures, but this new study says otherwise.

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Author's Final Thoughts

An octopus could punch a fish for no clear reason other than being annoyed, but if we look at the reason why they felt this way in the first place tells us the bigger picture. It is not exactly fully understood yet, but we know their behavior isn’t just aggression and random.

These are some of the most intelligent beings on Earth, so our hypothesis is that the punches might really be to ensure the effectiveness of the hunt and establish social cooperation, although they are probably annoyed at the fish at the same time.

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