Octopuses Recorded Hunting With Fish - and Punching Those That Don't Cooperate

Slashdot reader Hmmmmmm shared this report from NBC News: Octopuses don't always hunt alone — but their partners aren't who you'd expect. A new study shows that some members of the species Octopus cyanea maraud around the seafloor in hunting groups with fish, which sometimes include several fish species at once.

The research, published in the journal Nature on Monday, even suggests that the famously intelligent animals organized the hunting groups' decisions, including what they should prey upon. What's more, the researchers witnessed the cephalopod species — often called the big blue or day octopus — punching companion fish, apparently to keep them on task and contributing to the collective effort... "If the group is very still and everyone is around the octopus, it starts punching, but if the group is moving along the habitat, this means that they're looking for prey, so the octopus is happy. It doesn't punch anyone..." [said Eduardo Sampaio, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the lead author of the research].
NBC News says the study is "an indication that at least one octopus species has characteristics and markers of intelligence that scientists once considered common only in vertebrates."

Lead author Sampaio agrees that "We are very similar to these animals. In terms of sentience, they are at a very close level or closer than we think toward us."

translation

[TheGratefulNet]

echo translate("grrrg burllg gruubub bluubb")

"give us your lunch money or else"

see, I knew it. they are just like us.

Re:translation

[Brain-Fu]

If those fish don't want to be punched, they are free to go find a different hunting party.

Or to hunt by themselves.

Or, you know, to keep doing their part to make sure everyone gets to eat.

Just sayin'.

Re:

[echo123]

If those fish don't want to be punched, they are free to go find a different hunting party.

Or to hunt by themselves.

Or, you know, to keep doing their part to make sure everyone gets to eat.

Just sayin'.

Fight Club exists for a reason.

Benefit of parallel processing?

[Eunomion]

Octopi are neurologically distributed. Is there any reason that wouldn't pay dividends on land, or just coincidence of who crawled out first?

Re:

[az-saguaro]

Octopi are neurologically distributed.

Interesting. New topic for me.

Would you mind elaborating or posting some links for further information?

Thanks.

Re:Benefit of parallel processing?

[alvinrod]

Octopi have the majority of their neurons in their appendages as opposed to them being centrally concentrated in a brain as is common with most species of animal. Our current understanding is that each of their eight arms are able to function independently of each other or from the central brain in their head. You can probably just do a basic search and get plenty of more detailed explanations.

Re:

[az-saguaro]

Thanks.

The Deep

[Oyjord]

New video for The Deepâ(TM)s spank bank.

Sounds like middle management

[Whateverthisis]

I had a manager like that once. He punched us when we were laying around doing nothing too.

The Punch Line!

[Seven Spirals]

The difference is the Octopus can work with one hand and punch up to seven slackers at once. Since they also have the intellect of a cat, I think they'd be superior to most managers. You get on the punch line, or you become a part of an eight point rebuttal!

"Thank you and try the seafood platter..."

[kackle]

What do they get when they hang around schools?

Octopusal intelligence.

Why?

[ThurstonMoore]

Why is it that any time an animal shows intelligence science is shocked?

Re:

[Aighearach]

People are shocked when I punch my companions, too! Intelligence is universally shocking.

Re:

[bill_mcgonigle]

Egoism.

Humans have to be THE BEST. And modern humans too - because we are THE BEST.

That's why you get hell from people if you talk about the monolithic stones at Balbek or the UAP's the military chases and traces on sonar and radar.

Because Humans are THE BEST and modern humans KNOW EVERYTHING!

Meanwhile Science plods along doubling human knowledge every few years.

Wait 'till you hear what Congress just got briefed on from the JWST - six wild observations.

At least when everybody was worshiping gods and marvel

Re:

[alvinrod]

If humanity is so great how come we're all stuck paying taxes. I've never seen an Octopus pay taxes. Apparently they just hang out and punch fish all day, or so I've heard. Seems to me that they've got it worked out more than we do.

Re: Why?

[MrNaz]

If you don't want to pay taxes, feel free to opt out by moving to a forest in a third world country where you don't have to pay for roads, a legal system, social or emergency services.

Re:

[JBeretta]

If humanity is so great how come we're all stuck paying taxes.

Offer a solution that doesn't involve slavery. I'd like to hear how you think we'd go about funding everything..

Re:

[Brain-Fu]

Because sensationalism gets more clicks.

Saying "scientists find more evidence of some boring thing we already knew" doesn't sell.

Moe Howard

[Tablizer]

BOINK "Git the work you lazy fish-head!"

Correction

[Tablizer]

(to work)