It’s the aquatic buddy comedy movie we never knew we needed. Scientists in New Zealand have released footage of an octopus appearing to ride the back of a shortfin mako shark.
Researchers at University of Auckland documented the real-life sharktopus during a December 2023 expedition in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. The sighting was unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is that octopuses aren’t known for hanging out near the water’s surface.
Rochelle Constantine, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences, detailed her team’s strange encounter in an article published by the university last week. The researchers were studying the area as part of an ongoing project to monitor the animals of the Gulf, including sharks. And that’s when they spotted the pair.
“A large metallic grey dorsal fin signaled a big shark, a short-fin mako. But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury? We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark’s head, clinging on with its tentacles,” Constantine wrote. Footage of the two can be viewed below.
Octopuses are usually deep sea dwellers, whereas mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) stick closer to the surface. So it’s anyone’s guess as to how this ride-along actually happened. The researchers only tracked the animals for ten minutes, so there’s also no telling what became of the dynamic duo. But it might have been one hell of a joyride for the octopus, given that mako sharks are the fastest of their kind, traveling as fast as 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour).
The story, Constantine says, is an fun example of just how much there is still left to discover about the aquatic world that surrounds us—and why it’s important to both study and protect these waters. While sharks are often the stuff of cinematic nightmares, they’re much less dangerous to us than we are to them, she notes. Last year, for instance, there were only 47 unprovoked shark attacks and seven total deaths documented worldwide.
“One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea. By supporting conservation initiatives, we can help to ensure that such extraordinary moments keep happening.” she wrote.
