The complex body language traits of warring octopuses have been uncovered in a new study.
The solitary creatures are known for their intelligence, but the complexity of their life under water has been revealed for the first time.
They have previously been hard to study, because often when they are placed in a tank together they kill and eat each other.
But Jervis Bay in Australia has so many dolphins and sharks that octopuses have been forced to interact with each other at close quarters.
Some 52 hours of footage from more than 180 octopus interactions showed that they actually have complex social lives.
Aggressive males stand up tall and stretch out their bodies when threatened, changing colour to signal dominance.
The back part of the animal is raised over its head to make it look even larger, becoming darker to look more intimidating to potential foes.
The opposite is also true - with octopuses turning pale when trying to retreat from aggressors
Researchers from the University of Sydney dubbed the stance the "Nosferatu pose" after the vampire in the classic 1920s horror film.
Other recent studies show that octopuses can use projectiles as weapons and hide in coconut shells for protection.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét