Watch the video: octopuses have a “mud fight” on the sea floor – why they throw shells and sand.
Mud fight on the seabed.
These videos show octopuses throwing sand and shells at each other.
According to the researchers, the animals show the surprising behavior when cleaning their burrows, when in contact with conspecifics, other creatures and the underwater camera.
Females and males exhibit this behavior.
The recordings are made off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
In this habitat, the survival resources for the animals are scarce due to a high population.
The loners hurl sand and shells to interact with their neighbors and to ward off unwanted sexual advances, the researchers say.
They publish their results and the videos on the science platform “PLOS One”.