Research finds octopuses punch fish, but why?

New Delhi, India

Ever seen an octopus punching a fish? Turns out, it happens in nature more often than you think. And no, octopuses don’t do it to always serve a purpose. Sometimes, it’s simply out of… spite!

A new research published in “Ecology” documents octopuses punching fish during collaborative feeding sessions.

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During food sessions, authors of the research found that octopuses were punching fishes to prevent exploitation and to ensure collaboration. 

But they also found that in many instances, octopuses were punching fishes for no reason at all, implying they did it simply because they wanted to. Or perhaps it points to a behaviour we don’t yet understand.

The researchers were able to document eight distinct events whereby the octopuses were punching fish. These were documented in the Red Sea between 2018-2019 off the coastal regions of Israel and Egypt.

According to the paper, the octopuses put forward a swift “explosive” motion with an arm stretching especially towards a fish, akin to what humans would call punching.

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Its victims included the following fishes: Tailspot squirrelfish, black tip, yellow-saddle, and Red Sea goatfishes. The researchers did not completely understand the punching process, but did find that it serves an important purpose in interactions among species.

Many species hunt for food together. Perhaps octopuses and fishes do too, taking advantage of each other’s morphology and what they bring to the table in terms of hunting capability.

However, with a number of fishes involved, it creates a complicated network where an unbalance of sorts may be seen. And this is perhaps why octopuses treat fishes like scum - simply to control and keep the relationship balanced.