News from down under — both in the Australia and water senses — “Octopuses Appear To Take Up Arms As Submarine Warfare Escalates” (NPR News):
Those ornery octopuses have also taken to hurling objects at each other, like shells and bits of seaweed, blasting them through the water with high pressure. And while Godfrey-Smith says there may be other explanations for this behavior, the number of direct hits has him suspecting that the octopuses are using projectile weapons.
“It would be quite significant if it’s happening,” says Godfrey-Smith, who’s been collaborating on this research with David Scheel of Alaska Pacific University. “In general, projectile use is pretty rare among animals.”
Title quote was from the article in response to the inevitable inquiry by reporters.
Pen and wash drawing by malacologist Pierre Dénys de Montfort, 1801, from the descriptions of French sailors reportedly attacked by a colossal octopus off the coast of Angola.
