Scientists have recorded a video of octopus punching fishes in which they believe that the octopus behaves that way out of spite. Also, they said that this nasty-sounding behavior from the octopus might not just because of any direct conflict with the fish.
The scientists coined the term "active displacement" to describe the antisocial fish-punching phenomenon, which occurs amid hunting collaboration between the two species. Octopuses are known to cooperate with fishes to chase and trap their prey together, taking advantage of each other's morphology and hunting strategy.
Octopuses punch fishes. YES. OCTOPUSES. PUNCH. FISHES!!
— Eduardo Sampaio (@OctoEduardo) December 18, 2020
Our new paper is out on @ESAEcology, showing that octos express this behavior during collaborative hunting with other fishes. This was probably the most fun I had writing a paper. Ever! (small 🧵)https://t.co/Vwg9BoaSUo pic.twitter.com/PIYuVXpM9t
Active Displacement Behavior Seeks Control of Their Food
Marine Biologist Eduardo Sampaio from the University of Lisbon in Portugal said that octopuses and fishes hunt together by taking advantage of each other's hunting strategy and morphology, ScienceAlert reports.
But since multiple partners have joined in the hunt, it created a complex network that could lead to an imbalance in the pay-off, therefore giving rise to the partner control mechanism. It is similar to having a buffet where people elbow-out each other at the buffet to establish control and dominance over the food. This is called the partner control mechanism.
"To this end, the octopus performs a swift, explosive motion with one arm directed at a specific fish partner, which we refer to as punching," the researchers explained.
The researchers observed the behavior of the octopus and different species of fish in the Red Sea, which suggests that the punching serves as a concrete purpose in interspecific interactions. The team writes that "from an ecological perspective, actively punching a fish partner entails a small energetic cost for the actor (i.e., octopus), and simultaneously imposes a cost on the targeted fish partner."
They think that punching behavior is to make the fish properly in line when they are hunting. They either deter them from the prey, relocate their position in the pack, or evict the fish from the hunt altogether.
Punching Could Be A Form of Aggression
According to the researchers, the fish-punching behavior of the octopuses does not always seem to occur immediately for practical reasons. They observed that on two occasions, the punching takes place even when prey-securing attempts are not present. They believe that the behavior is a spiteful behavior and a form of aggression on the octopus.
One of the explanations of this fish-punching behavior suggests that octopuses may have some serious attitude problems. But the researchers noted that there is a lot more to learn about this antisocial fish-punching phenomenon and how complex the relationships between different species work.
They urge detailed quantitative analyses of these multi-specific events that answer the potential existence of privileged relationships between octopuses and the fishes, which are their partners in hunting their prey. The researchers published their study in the journal Ecology.
READ MORE: How Does An Octopus Taste Using Their Tentacles
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