San Diego, California - Some octopuses get a kick out of punching fish that pass them by, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. Researcher Eduardo Sampaio broke up when, while scuba diving, he saw an octopus take a swing at a passing fish for no apparent reason.
He told NPR recently that he laughed so hard that he almost choked on his underwater breathing apparatus. Sampaio was part of a team studying how octopuses and fish sometimes hunt for food together. So, why the fishy fisticuffs? Sampaio says in some cases they may be throwing punches so that they can keep the food they find for themselves. But he also says that he noticed that sometimes they’ll throw a punch for no good reason.
