Scientists have recently discovered a city off the coast of Australia built by Octopus. The underwater ‘octopus city’ was discovered by scientist and houses up to 15 individual octopuses. Scientists are calling it an amazing discovery. Octopuses are generally considered as lonely creatures that are smart, quick and have the remarkable potential to solve problems.
The site harboring 15 octopuses is unique in a way that it houses octopuses interacting and communicating with one another. This is new discovery suggests that deep sea creatures might not be strictly solitary aquatic organisms. The behavior exhibited by octopuses is the product of natural selection and is strikingly similar to vertebrate complex social behavior. The diversity and evolution of organisms are possible due to the favorable conditions.
The new site is the second octopus colony found in the Jervis Bay area of Australia. The researchers have named it Octlantis. The settlement is home to species known as Octopus tetricus or gloomy octopuses. This species of octopus is characterized by white eye pupil and orange-rust arms. This is not the first time researchers have discovered a settlement here. The first settlement was discovered in 2009 with over 16 octopuses calling it home.
The latest settlement is located just a few hundred miles from the first settlement. The discovery puts forward the idea that octopuses indeed socialize under certain conditions. The sea floor had several rock outcropping which made the congregation possible. The researchers dived to the settlement and recorded several hours of footage on their GoPro cameras. The footage showed octopuses mating, chasing, fighting and other social behaviors.
The creatures were quite close to each other, almost at an arm’s reach. There were even incidents where octopuses claimed their authority by evicting other animals from their dens. The animals also displayed threat by outstretching their bodies. The researchers said that more study will be done on the latest octopus settlement.
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