Scientists were spying on ocean life in the South Pacific Ocean when their cameras caught something unusual: a fist fight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers had dropped a baited remote underwater video system onto the seafloor at Morton Bank, around 75 miles off the coast of\u00a0Rotuma\u00a0(an island group around 400 miles north of\u00a0Fiji). They were using the video to record the number of fish and marine animals in the area when they saw the fishy fracas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never really know what we’re going to see until we watch the footage back later,\u201d says\u00a0Chris Thompson<\/a>, a marine ecologist at National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite always expecting the unexpected, the team was amazed to see a day octopus (Octopus cyanea) punching a highfin grouper (Epinephelus maculatus) before also going for \u2013 and narrowly missing \u2013 a spotcheek emperor (Lethrinus rubrioperculatus). Nat Geo Pristine Seas shared the footage on their Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a few theories as to why octopus might punch fish,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cThey may be displacing fish to gain access to prey or exerting discipline in a collaborative partnership to spite\u2026 or just because.\u201d<\/p>\n See the moment the octopus punches the grouper. Credit: National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time an\u00a0octopus<\/a>\u00a0has been seen\u00a0punching fish<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a\u00a02020 study in\u00a0Ecology<\/a>\u00a0describes the same species of octopus lashing out while hunting with fish in the Red Sea, suggesting the thwack might be a way of keeping the group in line.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith their different skills, working together likely increases the chances of each party finding and capturing prey,\u201d says Thompson. But, if the fish aren\u2019t pulling their weight, the octopus might get physical.\u00a0<\/p>\n Landing a punch could be \u201ca way of disciplining the fish into participating actively in the hunt rather than exploiting it and freeloading off the octopus and other fishes’ work,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, it’s possible that in this video the octopus is keeping the grouper on task.\u201d<\/p>\n Rotuma is nearly 1,000 miles away from the Red Sea but there are clearly similarities when it comes to its inhabitants. \u201cThat we are seeing this same behaviour in a remote location on the other side of the planet (over 15,000 km away) shows that these octopuses are up for a bit of biff wherever in the world they are,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Image and video credit: National Geographic Pristine Seas<\/p>\n More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n