Filmmakers have captured for the first time the moment a coconut octopus fires stones at prey fish while hiding in a shell, much like a sniper.
The footage is part of Netflix’s “Our Ocean” series, showcasing the coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), also known as the veined octopus, shooting small stones from its siphon—a structure used by octopuses for swimming and navigation—at fish swimming by, according to Live Science.
Coconut octopus hiding in a shell shoots stones at passing fish. (Photo: Netflix).
“We couldn’t believe it,” shared Katy Moorhead, the production assistant and field director of the series. “It shot stones at the fish using its siphon. No one has ever recorded a coconut octopus using its siphon as a weapon before.”
The film crew captured the clip at a depth of 9 meters beneath the sea in Southeast Asia. Initially, the filmmakers were studying the impact of plastic pollution on the ocean, focusing on a solitary octopus living among the debris on the seafloor. However, upon reviewing the footage, they realized they had recorded an entirely new behavior.
The team returned to the octopus to investigate whether this behavior was spontaneous or if the creature had developed a mechanism to use its siphon as a shooting tool to deter predators. Roger Munns, the director of photography for the series, spent 110 hours with the octopus over three weeks, ultimately documenting the intricate behavior. It collects stones and debris, stores them, and then fires them.
The stones are shot out so quickly that they can only be observed in slow motion. “Faced with a large fish while exposed, the octopus shot directly at the fish’s face,” said producer James Honeyborne.
The coconut octopus typically inhabits sandy and muddy environments in shallow waters. They are found throughout the Indian Ocean, emerging from their shelters at dawn and dusk to forage. They often hide in shells and coconut husks, closing two shell pieces together to create a shield. When not in use, they pull the shell pieces together, stacking them and crawling inside, only extending their arms to move along the seafloor.
Researchers are analyzing the stone-shooting behavior of the coconut octopus to gain a better understanding of why they do this. According to producer Jonathan Smith, the fish clearly panicked and swam away, proving it to be an effective deterrent against threats.
