Somehow, a large orange octopus has been riding a mako shark off the coast of New Zealand. Researchers are mystified.

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

Due to overfishing and the shark fin industry, shortfin mako sharks are listed as endangered. The species' survival is further handicapped by the reality that most are accidentally caught in ...

About 30 countries back the three proposals concerning species of mako shark and a range of critically endangered ray species in the guitarfish and wedgefish families Sharks have stalked the ...

An unexpected marine phenomenon was observed in New Zealand waters: an octopus riding a shark. This unusual scene, captured by researchers, raises questions about interactions between ...

That wasn’t the case for this octopus. In 2023, scientists spotted an eight-armed cephalopod riding on a 10-foot mako shark—and their video of the bizarre journey is now available to view.

The sighting off the coast of Kawau Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf saw a Maori octopus hitch a ride on a shortfin mako shark, clinging to the predator's head like a jockey. Drone footage of the ...

"A large metallic grey dorsal fin signalled a big shark, a short-fin mako," Constantine wrote in the piece published March 11. "But wait, what was that orange patch on its head? A buoy? An injury?