As it happens6:32The rare observation of a « Sharktopus » leaves spectators stopped and bewildered
The biologist Marina Rochelle Constantine and her research team encountered something completely unexpected during a research trip on the North New Zealand, a view that left them absolutely stunned.
As he watched a short shark Mako swimming in the waters in December 2023, a strange thing caught his attention.
« Had a really large orange brown shape on the head », Constantine, which recently Shared the discovery in a blog posthe said As it happens Host Nil Köksal.
« We are like, ‘oh, is entangled in a buoy, (or) some kind of fishing gear? Or maybe, () had an injury, because injuries often have unusual colors under water.’ « »
To reach the bottom, the team ran their boat closer to the shark, deployed a drone for aerial shots and attached a GoPro in the water to make a closer look.
What they discovered was far from what they were expecting: the mysterious Blob was actually a Maori octopus that clung to the shark’s head.
« She was certainly working to keep a lot of content at the top, » said Constantine, a biological science professor at the University of Auckland. « You could see a tentacle … from time to time. »
The team did not take long to give the duo a name.
« It was almost instantly named in the water, » Constantine said. « The Sharktopus. »
A very unlikely partner
The Maori octopus, the largest octopus in the southern hemisphere, lives below and feeds on the seabed, according to Constantine.
Meanwhile, the Mako Shark Sol swims over half waters, passing to great depths, but rarely, if ever, approaching the bottom of the ocean.
« As they really found it is the biggest mystery, » said Constantine. « They have very different worlds. »
Constantine says that scientists can only speculate on what they gathered.
« I think whenever the octopus remains far from the mouth of the Mako shark, they are probably definitely friends, » he said.
Victoria Marine University biologist Verena Tunnicliffe, who was not involved in the expedition, says that the octopus probably fell in the shark and hiding on his back.
« It’s a very bright animal: where is the safest place? (I guess you expect it to be searched without warning, » said Tunnicliffe.
« I can’t imagine that I thought this would be a joy, but you never know. »
Keep it a mystery
Although the way the Sharktopus was a mystery, the encounter has aroused a widespread interest around the world.
Clock | Auckland University Drone pictures show the Sharktopus From above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CylBarkmdy
And Constantine is all for the talk and attention generated by the « Sharktopus ».
« I I really loved that all of these languages and all these languages speak, « Well, what is this? Why would they be? What happens? »
For Constantine, the unexpected encounter serves as a memory of the amount we still have to learn about the ocean and its incredible creatures, while Nudant -us to be better administrators.
« The life of these animals is much more than we perceive them, » he said.
« I think this is true for the whole sea in the ocean. I want people to stop and reflect on what we do not know, how good is the ocean and the importance it has for us. »
Leave a Reply