Octopuses may punch fish hunting partners out of spite

The octopus has revealed itself to be something of a thug, according to a new study by marine biologists.

In a paper published by the Ecological Society of America, scientists laid out their findings from studying octopuses and fish that hunt together in the Red Sea.

The two sea animals are known to collaborate in hunting, making use of their differing morphology and hunting styles. However, octopuses have been observed hitting out at the fish, seemingly randomly.

It is not entirely clear why, as the punching is not always done to retrieve the prey.

One of the reasons, scientists believe, could be spite.

Pctopuses may be trying to keep the upper hand in the relationship, to ensure that their investment in the joint hunting pays off in the future, according to one of the researchers, marine biologist Eduardo Sampaio from the University of Lisbon.

Science outlets have compared the behaviour to people elbowing each other out of the way at a buffet.

Footage was published alongside the paper was shot in the Red Sea in 2018 and 2019.