But researchers aren't sure whether the octopus intended to ride on a shark's head. The shortfin mako is a large shark with big black button eyes and is extremely fast. Photo: Shutterstock Like ...

The octopus in question was no lightweight. It was a Māori octopus, the largest octopus species in the Southern Hemisphere.

During an expedition in December 2023, a team from the University of Auckland filmed an orange octopus clinging to a shortfin mako shark. This shark species, known for its speed, usually swims near ...

According to The New York Times, marine ecologist Rochelle Constantine and her colleagues were on a research trip along the northern coast of New Zealand when they noticed a shortfin mako shark in ...

A shortfin mako shark, the fastest-swimming shark in the world, was caught on camera with an octopus catching a ride on its back off the coast of New Zealand.

While on a research trip in December 2023, marine scientists observed an octopus attached to the head of a shortfin mako shark. The sighting was off the northern coast of the North Island of New ...

Scientists were amazed to spot a Maori octopus hitchhiking on the back of a speedy shortfin mako shark, an unusual sight captured in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf. It’s not every day you see an ...

They are the largest octopus in the Southern Hemisphere. Even riding a huge predator like the shark, a shortfin mako, this hitchhiker occupied a lot of room. “You can see it takes a fair amount ...

“We could see these tentacles moving,” she added in a March 20 interview with The New York Times.

Sometimes we all need a little help. And it can come from unlikely places. Carla Mascarenhas is the NSW correspondent covering breaking news, state politics and investigations. She is based in ...