This Octopus Employed a Secret Weapon to Startle a Curious Husky

The coconut octopus in this video from furbabiesplus looks like a walking squirt gun. A curious Husky trying to take a closer look at this remarkable creature gets a snout full of water for his effort. Is this octopus trying to start a waterfight with a dog? Octopuses expel water to move quickly or to confuse predators. However, experts say octopuses can be playful and have even been known to squirt people and things that annoy them. The coconut octopus has several defense mechanisms at its disposal, but so far, it’s only spraying water in this unfortunate dog’s face. So why is this octopus squirting water and how does it do it?

The Clever Coconut Octopus

The coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), also known as the veined octopus, belongs to a class of marine mollusks called cephalopods. This class includes octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish. This octopus prefers shallow, tropical waters to depths of about 600 feet. They primarily inhabit the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. Coconut octopuses are around three inches wide with six-inch-long tentacles.

Coconut octopuses got their nickname because of their clever use of coconut shells. Researchers found that the octopuses dug up two halves of a coconut from the seafloor. The octopuses reassembled them to use as a shelter. When they were ready to move on, the octopuses picked up the shells and carried them. They laid their arms over the shells and walked on two rigid arms like they were walking on stilts. Researchers have called this bipedal locomotion “stilt-walking.” Some scientists believe this may be a way to impersonate environmental elements while also fleeing predators. It is also thought to be the first documented use of tools by invertebrates.

The Cephalopod Squirt Gun

Octopuses swim using a type of jet propulsion. The octopus is propelled by expelling water in the opposite direction of the way it wants to go. First, they suck water into a cavity in their mantles. In cephalopods, the mantle is the bulbous structure above its eyes that contains its internal organs. After it sucks in the water, it uses its muscles to force the water out through a hole at the end of a pipe-like funnel, or siphon. Their underwater jet propulsion also allows them to quickly accelerate away from danger. Some cephalopods are believed to reach speeds up to 25mph using jet propulsion.

Coconut octopuses also have other defensive mechanisms. Nearly all cephalopods, including the coconut octopus, have the ability to change color. They have chromatophores beneath their skin, which are color-changing cells that can help them camouflage their skin to match their environment. Coconut octopuses also have ink sacs that allow them to release a cloud of black fluid into the water. This fluid can disorient predators, as well as mask the octopus’ escape route. It may also contain irritants that make it hard for predators to see and smell.

A Playful Octopus?

The coconut octopus shown above is not rushing to escape to deeper water. In several instances, the octopus looks like it is waiting for the dog to catch up. At times the octopus also squirts water in the dog’s face without propelling itself forward. Octopuses can change color as fast as humans can blink, so it did not attempt to change color to match the rocky beach. The octopus did not appear to release its ink either. While we can’t know for sure, none of the octopus’ actions would seem to indicate that it viewed the dog as an immediate threat.

It is possible that the octopus is playing with the dog. Wild-caught octopuses in captivity have been recorded engaging in play-type behaviors. There is anecdotal evidence from researchers interacting with octopuses in the wild as well. Researchers have also documented octopuses shooting water at visitors they did not know, as well as short-circuiting bright lights that they disliked. So, considering the intelligence required to use tools, it would be unsurprising for the coconut octopus to play with, and express annoyance with, a friendly pup that got a little too close.