This squid throws seashells at other animals

Do people in your area sometimes pay too little attention to your personal space? In this case, you might want to take an example octopus tetricus, a squid that has a clear message for species that don’t keep enough distance. If another animal gets too close, it can happen that something is thrown at its head. This is evident from a a study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE (2022).

Throw shells, silt and seaweed

The species, native to waters off New Zealand and eastern Australia, has been filmed throwing shells, silt and seaweed at animals that ventured too close to its hiding place. And more than once an attempt has succeeded; victims include many species of fish and other squid, and researchers’ cameras have also been subject to frequent abuse.

octopus tetricus only occurs in salt water and can change color to blend in with its environment and interact with its conspecifics. The researchers noted that animals that threw objects the farthest were more likely to be dark in color – dark camouflage is associated with aggression.

Personal space

This is the first time that this behavior has been observed in octopuses. While scientists still don’t know why, they suspect it has something to do with defending “the octopus’s personal space”, said lead researcher Peter Godfrey-Smith, a professor at the University of Sydney. .

What does it look like? Octopuses scoop up debris with their arms and then blow it away with a jet of water from their siphon, the organ they use to pump water out of their bodies and propel themselves. In this way, they can throw objects several meters away.

This story originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of National Geographic Magazine.