(RightWing.org) – Undersea life can seem strange and remote, far removed from the existence humans live on dry land. However, the creatures beneath the waves can sometimes engage in behaviors not so different from our own. In the video below, you can see octopuses apparently throwing items at one another, and researchers think the animals had various different reasons for doing so.
The footage, which was collected as part of a new study, shows the creatures hurling shells, algae, and silt at one another. The researchers believe the majority of the throws were a means of interaction between octopuses. The animals also appeared to throw objects to clean out their dens in some instances, and they also performed the act after eating.
An octopus hurling something at another octopus isn’t always an act of aggression (though it often is). The researchers believe it can also be part of the mating process between the creatures.
The team behind the research looked into the methods the octopuses used to propel items effectively. They noted octopuses that successfully aimed items at other octopuses usually used an unusual combination of their legs to hold projectiles, and the limbs took on darker hues at the time of the throws. Octopuses (as well as squids and other cephalopods) can change color at will, and they often do so to blend in with their surroundings.
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