Octopus and grouper combine to hunt down Australia's seabed

Smart grouper knows to borrow octopus hand to lure prey away in the rocks and swim straight into the mouth of one of the hunters.

The partnership to capture prey between octopus and grouper was first recorded by BBC documentaries Blue Planet II off Australia, Telegraph reported on November 11.

Octopuses and grouper also hunt a good small fish that wriggles in coral reefs and often hides in rocks that are so small that grouper cannot chase. But big fish think of a special solution. After cornering the fish in a rock, grouper turns lighter to attract the octopus's attention. After that, he swung his head down and wagged his tail to signal the meal hiding in the cavity. For their part, the octopus stuck its long and thin tentacles into the rock, dragging its prey out.

Grouper and octopus in the Great Barrier Reef.(Photo: BBC).

"The little fish is frightened and swims straight into the grouper's mouth. Sometimes, octopuses enjoy the part, sometimes the grouper. These very different animals have found collaboration to be successful." David Attenborough, the host, said.

Scientists believe that the cooperative relationship between octopus and grouper, including raw signal language, represents intelligence comparable to crows and even chimpanzees, closest relatives of humans. .

"When I witnessed that behavior for the first time, I was amazed. The interesting thing was the intention behind it. Grouper planned and anticipated the results, then proceeded. This shows the level of communication. We have seen grouper signaling upside down and wagging their tails to attract the attention of moray eels, but eels do not achieve the desired results. swim to and push them in the right direction, they don't need to do that to the octopus, " said Dr. Alex Vail of Cambridge University, who led the group to the filming location.

"We found that this fish has the ability to plan ahead and cooperate in hunting with a completely unrelated species, in this case an octopus. Grouper finds prey and if not possible catching it in a coral reef, grouper will contact the octopus. As long as the prey shows up, grouper will have a 50% chance of catching it and the other 50% chance of belonging to the octopus " , the episode producer said.