strange octopus behaviour

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Hola All at Scubaboard.
Firstly I need to explain that I am not a diver. I run a small natural history and hiking centre in the Sierra de Grazalema in the south of Spain. Though I climb mountains and in the past have done all manner of "dangerous sports" I have the utmost respect for you guys (and gals) for I find the idea of going underwater absolutely terrifying.

I was recently asked a question about strange octopus behaviour and obviously I am completely in the dark as to the answer. Below is the question. Can you be of help?

"Just as we were leaving a quiet bay after snorkelling an OCTOPUS attatched itself to my sons legs. It let go but then proceded to come out of the water onto the rocks - it did this a couple of times and also "chased" another swimmer. Is this normal behaviour? why was it doing this?"

best regards
Clive
 
Glad you've joined us, even tho you're not ready to dive yet.

Octopuses vary greatly with specie, different parts of the world, etc. The ones I have seen in the Carib and Florida are generally quite shy, best caught on camera at night, but I've read that our Pacific Northwest has much larger and more assertive speciemns. Even read about a public aquarium that discovered it had one grabbing small sharks at night and devouring them. :11:

For knowlegble answers on your local animals, tho, this would probably be best asked in another forum, perhaps Basic Scuba. You might try it here

:cowboy: don
 
Moved from Introductions & Greets forum.
 
naturalimages:
Hola All at Scubaboard.
Firstly I need to explain that I am not a diver. I run a small natural history and hiking centre in the Sierra de Grazalema in the south of Spain. Though I climb mountains and in the past have done all manner of "dangerous sports" I have the utmost respect for you guys (and gals) for I find the idea of going underwater absolutely terrifying.

I was recently asked a question about strange octopus behaviour and obviously I am completely in the dark as to the answer. Below is the question. Can you be of help?

"Just as we were leaving a quiet bay after snorkelling an OCTOPUS attatched itself to my sons legs. It let go but then proceded to come out of the water onto the rocks - it did this a couple of times and also "chased" another swimmer. Is this normal behaviour? why was it doing this?"

best regards
Clive
Octopus are supposed to be pretty smart so the only reason I can think of is that it was used to being fed by divers. This happens sometimes here although all the ones I've come across want nothing to do with me. They can also leave the water temporarily. I read that one at the Vancouver Aquarium used to climb out of it's tank and into other tanks to hunt fish. In one of the Cousteau shows they filmed an octopus climbing out of it's tank. Recently someone involved with the show admitted that they squirted bleach in the tank to force it out. I don't think your octopus meant any harm. I can't imagine it being stupid enough to try hunting a human. Over here I'm suprised they don't. The largest one recorded was supposed to weigh hundreds of pounds and was 30 feet across. I find that hard to believe though. When we come across an 8-foot one we feel lucky.
 
:hmmm: Maybe the little critter was used to divers feeding him...?

Crawling out was his way of begging.
 
swankenstein:
Octopus are supposed to be pretty smart so the only reason I can think of is that it was used to being fed by divers. This happens sometimes here although all the ones I've come across want nothing to do with me. They can also leave the water temporarily. I read that one at the Vancouver Aquarium used to climb out of it's tank and into other tanks to hunt fish. In one of the Cousteau shows they filmed an octopus climbing out of it's tank. Recently someone involved with the show admitted that they squirted bleach in the tank to force it out. I don't think your octopus meant any harm. I can't imagine it being stupid enough to try hunting a human. Over here I'm suprised they don't. The largest one recorded was supposed to weigh hundreds of pounds and was 30 feet across. I find that hard to believe though. When we come across an 8-foot one we feel lucky.
Wasn't there a story about an octopus (this could be an urban legend) that was at a restaurant and during the night it would leave its tank, motor across the floor and climb up into the Crab? Lobster? tank and have a meal, and then go back to his own tank?
 
JeffG:
Wasn't there a story about an octopus (this could be an urban legend) that was at a restaurant and during the night it would leave its tank, motor across the floor and climb up into the Crab? Lobster? tank and have a meal, and then go back to his own tank?
The story exists alright - I've heard the same one. Like you though I'm a bit skeptical and consider it probably an urban legend. It conjours up an amusing image though! :D
 
JeffG:
Wasn't there a story about an octopus (this could be an urban legend) that was at a restaurant and during the night it would leave its tank, motor across the floor and climb up into the Crab? Lobster? tank and have a meal, and then go back to his own tank?

I don't know about the restaurant part, but there are certainly known instances of the silly things getting out of their own tanks and getting into neighboring ones. Intertidal species in particular; they creep in and out of tide pools as part of their natural lifestyle.
 
I saw an old Jacques Cousteau movie years ago.

The divers put a large shrimp into a wide-mouth glass jar and corked it. Then they dropped the jar in front of an octpus den.

The octopus immediately swam out and wrapped its tentacles around the jar. It just sat there for a while feeling around the jar and cork. Then the octopus slowly retreated to its den.

There it sat for a few minutes.

Suddenly the octopus darted out from its den. In a flash it pulled the cork out of the jar and grabbed the shrimp. It was as if the octopus knew exactly how to get the shrimp after thinking about it for a couple of minutes.

Blew me away.
 
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