Octlantis: The mysterious 'underwater city' of octopuses; What are they actually doing there?
For the longest time, octopuses have been seen as solitary, secretive creatures, masters of camouflage and lone hunters of the deep. But recent underwater discoveries suggest there might be more to their story than we know about. Rather than always living silently across the ocean floor, some of them may gather in groups, interact with each other, and even build habitats together, which is just contrary to their solitary lifestyle.
There is an underwater city of octopuses !
Scientists have found a bustling gathering of octopuses in a miniature underwater city. In Jervis Bay, off the southeastern coast of Australia, researchers gathered the information by filming these gloomy octopuses living closely at a site they have nicknamed the Octlantis . As many as 15 individuals were seen mating, fighting, and even evicting each other from their dens, according to research published in Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology.
This discovery is contrary to the belief that Octopuses are quiet and solitary creatures. As the underwater city cephalopods communicated through body postures, chased rivals away, and carved out living spaces from shell debris.
There is also another underwater octopus city!
Octlantis isn't the only such site. In 2009, a nearby site called the Octopolis was discovered. There, gloomy octopuses gathered around a large human-made object, which was likely a decades-old piece of metal, building dens and interacting with each other.
These shell beds and rock outcrops were being used as real estate. According to Stephanie Chancellor, a co-author of the study, “octopuses who had been inhabiting the area had built up piles of shells … further sculpted to create dens, making these octopuses true environmental engineers.”
So why do these animals cluster together in such a risky setup?
Professor David Scheel from Alaska Pacific University suggests to BBCEarth that shelter is the key. In this area, food may be plentiful, but safe housing is scarce, and predators might be common. However, the groups of these octopus might not be peaceful, but they form protective groups around the dens.
Catching these kinds of octopus behaviors in the wild isn’t easy. As the dives are short, lighting is limited, and octopuses are masters of camouflage, constantly changing color and blending in. Still, scientists noticed that some octopuses were more active than others, moving around more, rearranging shells, or trying to show dominance in ways that are still not completely comprehensible to the researchers.
There is an underwater city of octopuses !
Scientists have found a bustling gathering of octopuses in a miniature underwater city. In Jervis Bay, off the southeastern coast of Australia, researchers gathered the information by filming these gloomy octopuses living closely at a site they have nicknamed the Octlantis . As many as 15 individuals were seen mating, fighting, and even evicting each other from their dens, according to research published in Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology.
This discovery is contrary to the belief that Octopuses are quiet and solitary creatures. As the underwater city cephalopods communicated through body postures, chased rivals away, and carved out living spaces from shell debris.
There is also another underwater octopus city!
Octlantis isn't the only such site. In 2009, a nearby site called the Octopolis was discovered. There, gloomy octopuses gathered around a large human-made object, which was likely a decades-old piece of metal, building dens and interacting with each other.
These shell beds and rock outcrops were being used as real estate. According to Stephanie Chancellor, a co-author of the study, “octopuses who had been inhabiting the area had built up piles of shells … further sculpted to create dens, making these octopuses true environmental engineers.”
So why do these animals cluster together in such a risky setup?
Professor David Scheel from Alaska Pacific University suggests to BBCEarth that shelter is the key. In this area, food may be plentiful, but safe housing is scarce, and predators might be common. However, the groups of these octopus might not be peaceful, but they form protective groups around the dens.
Catching these kinds of octopus behaviors in the wild isn’t easy. As the dives are short, lighting is limited, and octopuses are masters of camouflage, constantly changing color and blending in. Still, scientists noticed that some octopuses were more active than others, moving around more, rearranging shells, or trying to show dominance in ways that are still not completely comprehensible to the researchers.
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