Somehow, a large orange octopus has been riding a mako shark off the coast of New Zealand. Researchers are mystified.

An octopus taking a ride on a shark’s back in New Zealand surprised a research team from the University of Auckland.

“We launched the drone, put the GoPro in the water and saw something unforgettable: an octopus perched atop the shark’s head, clinging on with its tentacles,” she recalled. It was, as she ...

More than a fanciful shark-octopus hybrid featured in low-budget sci-fi films of the 2010s, the "sharktopus" has been spotted in real life - well, kind of. The sighting was not that of some mish ...

An unexpected marine phenomenon was observed in New Zealand waters: an octopus riding a shark. This unusual scene, captured by researchers, raises questions about interactions between marine species.

Most animals would think twice before interacting with large sharks, many of which are the ocean‘s top predators. That wasn’t the case for this octopus. In 2023, scientists spotted an eight ...

So, when I recently saw an octopus riding a shark, aka ‘sharktopus,’ I started seeing major ‘alien takeover’ red flags. I’m only half-joking here. Maybe a little more than half. Because if you asked ...