Shark's Orange 'Hat' Leaves Researchers Stunned

"One of the best things about being a marine scientist is that you never know what you might see next in the sea," writes Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland, who did not expect to come across an octopus riding a shark. That's exactly what researchers found in December 2023 while exploring the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island, off the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. "A large metallic grey dorsal fin signalled a big shark, a short-fin mako," but this shark had a strange, orange patch on its head, Constantine writes in a statement. Was it "a buoy? An injury?" researchers wondered. They sent up a drone, which revealed the orange blob to be a Maori octopus, which can weigh up to 26 pounds, per the New York Times.

An underwater camera revealed the octopus was alive, moving its tentacles, Constantine tells the Times. She notes the sight of this so-called "sharktopus" was "unforgettable" in part because short-fin mako sharks—the fastest sharks in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 46mph—tend to hunt fast-swimming fish near the ocean's surface, while octopus tend to live on the ocean floor, per Live Science. "We really don't know how this octopus, that lives on the seabed, came across this [10-foot-long] mako shark that lives in pelagic—open ocean waters," Constantine tells the outlet. "It really is a mystery—but the ocean is filled with unexpected things."

The researchers, who watched the interaction for 10 minutes, saw no sign of distress from the shark. "It certainly didn't appear to be bothered as it swam along slowly," Constantine tells Live Science. She notes the octopus, who may have been trying to avoid detection, "could stay there while the shark was swimming slowly" but likely "would have dislodged if the shark swam faster." At that point, the endangered shark, which also eats squid, may have even consumed the octopus, per Smithsonian. "But for at least a few short minutes, they were swimming peacefully together," the outlet notes. "By supporting conservation initiatives, we can help to ensure that such extraordinary moments keep happening," writes Constantine. (More strange stuff stories.)