After scientists found that the female octopuses have been throwing things at males when they feel harassed, the study instantly went viral and took the internet by storm. Especially for all the meme creators, they found new content to show their ideas and skills now. Well, the issue of harassment is faced by all the species, and the octopus has a similar way to react to humans.
In a new study, researchers have come across an interesting fact regarding female octopuses. They have been studying the behavioral aspect of the eight-limbed creatures which indicates that they pelt males especially when the male octopus approaches a female octopus in an attempt to mate, with shells and debris. The preprint research paper, titled ‘In the Line of Fire: Debris Throwing by Wild Octopuses’, studied the various throws the octopus resorted to. As per the researchers, an animal throwing an object and another animal is a very uncommon thing to find. In their research, they have underlined throwing objects and stated “is an uncommon behavior in animals” and has “sometimes been seen as distinctively human”.
However, when they were studying the behavior of wild octopuses off the eastern coast of Australia they found the behavior to be pretty common. The researchers have also noted, “frequently propel shells, silt, and algae through the water by releasing these materials from their arms while creating a forceful jet from the siphon held under the armed web.” Some of the throws appeared to have fixed targets of the same species and “were significantly more vigorous”.
Initially, the behavior came to notice in 2015. Researchers thought it was accidental. But now findings have helped them confirm that it is deliberate indeed. In the paper published on bioRxiv, researchers said, the octopuses “more often used silt, rather than shells or algae.” The high-vigor female octopuses throw things significantly more often accompanied by uniform or dark body patterns, they ruled. “Some throws were directed differently from beneath the arms and such throws were significantly more likely to hit other octopuses. Throws targeted at other individuals in the same population, as these appear to be, are the least common form of nonhuman throwing.”
This behavior of the female octopus has been captured on camera multiple times where once in 2016, a female octopus threw a slit at a male octopus. The male was attempting to mate with her. Newsweek said “She threw silt at him ten times, hitting him on five of those attempts. The male occasionally tried to dodge the sentiment but was only successful around half of the time.” Netizens have created many memes regarding it which are funny.
