Octopuses can lead a group of fish in collaborative hunting, according to a new study published yesterday. The study is the first to outline the hierarchical roles each animal plays in the multispecies pack.
A team of German researchers diving in the Red Sea near Eilat, Israel, tracked 13 group cross-species hunts. In each case, a blue octopus normally found hunting alone, Octopus cyanea, led a pack of between two and 10 fish—often goatfish—to descend on mollusks and other small fish. The goatfish served as explorers, scouting possible targets that the octopus moved to approve or reject. Meal-sharing was not observed; each animal ate what it could scrounge from the hunt.
The octopus was also seen punching blacktip groupers attempting to freeload and fish within the group who were slacking in their roles (see video). As a next step, researchers are interested in investigating whether octopuses can remember and exclude individual fish for repeated misbehavior.
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