Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a ‘sharktopus’: A marine pairing like no other

The Maori octopus opted for a very speedy ride; the shortfin mako is considered the fastest shark species, swimming up to 50 km/h.

Video footage of an octopus riding on the back of a shark has enraptured global audiences since it was released by researchers at the University of Auckland earlier this week.

The New Zealand cohort of ocean experts spotted the unlikely duo, a Maori octopus perched atop a shortfin mako shark, in the Hauraki Gulf during the summer of 2023.

The researchers were on the lookout for a feeding frenzy when they spotted the pair casually riding the waves in tandem and playfully coined them “sharktopus.”

According to a recent blog post by Rochelle Constantine, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Auckland and one of the researchers who discovered the unusual sight, the team first spotted a large dorsal fin, signaling a shark in their vicinity. Upon closer inspection, they noticed an “orange patch on its head.”

At first, they assumed it was an injury or that the shark had bumped into a buoy. To confirm their suspicions, the team released a drone and dropped a GoPro camera into the water. That’s when they discovered the pair.

“An octopus perched atop the shark’s head, clinging on with its tentacles,” Constantine wrote.

“This ‘sharktopus’ was a mysterious find indeed,” she added. “Octopus are mostly on the seabed, while shortfin mako sharks don’t favour the deep.”

The octopus opted for a speedy ride, she explained, since the shortfin mako is the fastest shark species, swimming up to 50 km/h.