Octo in a cup
20,302,420
Published 2019-04-25
The coconut octopus, also known as veined octopus, is born with the instinct to protect itself by creating a mobile home out of coconut or clam shells.
This particular individual however has been trapped by their instincts and have made a home out of a plastic cup they found underwater.
While a shell is a sturdy protection, a passing eel or flounder would probably swallow the cup with the octopus in it, most likely also killing the predator or weakening it to a point where it will be soon eaten by an even bigger fish.
We found this particular octopus at about 20 meters under the water, we tried for a long time to give it shells hoping that it would trade the shell. Coconut octopus are famous for being very picky about which shells they keep so we had to try with many different shells before it found one to be acceptable.
Filmed in:
- Lembeh, Indonesia
- December 2018
Music:
- Punch Deck - Snowfall
- soundcloud.com/punch-deck
All Comments (21)
-
Rather picky for someone living in a cup
-
Plastic Cup: +10 Mobility +2 Defense Bottom Shell: -3 Mobility +25 Defense
-
The way the little fellow reached out to check each shell was just adorable.
-
I like to think that octopus 'kinda' understands the humans are trying to give it a new shell, and is treating this like a proper trade session
-
Diver: Pick a shell. Octo: It's not that simple Diver: PICK a shell. Octo: IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE!
-
Imagine if aliens just showed up one day, offered you a better house, and left.
-
*Cthulhu takes over the earth* Cthulhu: From now on, you humans are my slaves, except you guys *points at divers* you helped my broke buddy Eric.
-
1:56 This whole video is wholesome and I was smiling the whole time, but this specific part made me laugh so loudly. The fact that he just brought the cup along with him it's so funny
-
"Maybe if I pick one of the shells they'll stop bothering me"
-
I just love how the octopus don't give a crap that it's getting shells from giant hands
-
That was one of the most precious videos I’ve seen in a long time. The beautiful interaction of a small intelligent sea creature and a huge human. One caring for the life of the other who chooses to trust.
-
This is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. So touching. Cuteness of the little one and beautiful act of kindness of the divers, it’s a perfect combination.
-
"Guys you are not going to believe how I got this shell"
-
That moment when you accidently become a real estate agent for an octopus.
-
I love this so much. The care, the compassion for an adorable, tiny octopus. How hard the divers worked to save it. Just so sweet.
-
It just shows how intelligent the Octopus really is they should be respected not eaten. This video has melted my heart how the team searched for the right shell for this little Octopus and made him safe 🐙 ❤️
-
Diver: that cup won’t protect you Octo: it’s not supposed to it’s my hat 🎩 🐙
-
Gotta love how a whole team of divers searched for shells for one picky boi to leave his cup. Goals.
-
Made me think of a day in 1961, a coral beach on Guam. Came on a small Octo (maybe 12 to 14" tip to tip. The tide was going out and it was "stranded" in a small water filled depression. (Now it may well have known what it was doing but...) Not wanting it to to be stranded high and dry I approached from opposite the closest receding water. And it did (as I hoped) retreat the right direction to the deeper water. It was there that same day, I found in another "depression" a small glass float (from a fishing net) that I had in my home Fish pond for over 50 years. In 2012 I pulled it out to clean algae off of it and slippery as it was, I dropped it - yep - on stone and it broke. I still have the memory of a beach where I would go for solitude, between Merizo and Inarahan, and (maybe) saving a young octopus.
-
I'd spend all my air helping a little octopus too. Look at how cute it is. I love it. Thanks for doing that for the little octopus.
