Posted on 04/30/2012 5:14:59 PM PDT by Theoria
One of the great things about being a nature lover is that your powers of observation seem to improve. While others are walking by, oblivious to the activities going on all around them, naturalists notice the creatures and the behaviors, especially if they are out of the ordinary.
Such was the case on March 24, 2012, a sunny Saturday morning, when Ginger Morneau, her husband Ken, and brother Lou Baker were walking along the Ogden Point Breakwater in Victoria, BC. The breakwater is a favourite spot for locals and visitors, reaching out about a half mile from the waterfront south of downtown. The area is also popular with divers as it is a marine park, populated with interesting fish, marine plants and invertebrates. Walkers strolling along the top of the breakwater can often see marine wildlife in the water below.
As the group headed out along the walkway, Ginger noticed a gull acting strangely a short distance ahead of her. The bird was on the inside of the breakwater, where the water is clear and can be quite still. The gull appeared to be feeding on something underwater, but it didnt raise its head. As they approached, they could see a red-orange shape in the water below the gull. When they got to the spot directly above the gull, they could see that it was an octopus. And Gingers camera was in her hand.
The Giant Pacific Octopus can be seen regularly patrolling the shallows of the shorelines around Victoria. They primarily feed on crustaceans, but are known to occasionally take fish and even birds. Octopi are extremely intelligent animals, and great problem solvers. Although they live only about four years, they can grow to have a span of more than 20 feet and to weigh more than 100 pounds. This one wasnt that large, but it was still an impressive individual. What was even more impressive, though, was that it had one of its tentacles wrapped around the head of the gull, holding it under water.
The first winter Glaucous-winged Gull was struggling, flapping its wings in an attempt to break the octopuss grip, but without success. The octopuss eight tentacled arms allowed it to cling firmly to the rocks and simultaneously maintain its grasp on to the gull. Initially, air was bubbling to the surface, but within a minute, the struggle was over. More tentacles came out of the water to grab the body of the gull and pull it completely under. Other gulls flew overhead, noisily checking out the scene as if to see if there were going to be any scraps, but disappeared once the victim had been pulled from the surface.
Ginger described the battle as primal and although she wanted to rescue the gull, it wouldnt have been possible due to the sheer drop from the walkwaynot to mention that the writhing tentacles of the octopus were more than a little intimidating. So she snapped a few more pictures, aware that she was witnessing a rarely-seen event. There wasnt time for morefrom her first picture to her last, only 53 seconds had elapsed. A couple of others watched the spectacle, but most people just walked on by, unaware of the struggle just fifteen feet below them.
Gulls will eat octopus, given the opportunity. Theres a decent possibility that the victim in this story might have even been pecking at the octopus before Ginger and her family happened by. Well never know who started this battle, even though we definitely know who won! There are other records of octopus catching and eating sea birds, including reports of one with a den near a boat ramp on Whidbey Island that was seen catching both gulls and Pigeon Guillemots. However, Gingers are the only photos weve found that document this behavior.
To commemorate witnessing and photographing this amazing event, Ginger, Ken and Lou went out for a calamari lunch.
Literature Cited:
Mather, Jennifer A., Roland C. Anderson and James B. Wood (2010). Octopus: The Ocean's Intelligent Invertebrate (2010).
Sazima, Ivan and Lisandro Bastos de Almeida (2008). The Bird Kraken: Octopus preys on a sea bird at an oceanic island in the tropical West Atlantic. Marine Biodiversity Records, 1 , e47 doi:10.1017/S1755267206005458
The famous Shark Vs. Octopus video.
Story has one error. NO way the octopus ingested the gull in under a minute. The octopus has a neak..like a parrot’s beak..very sharp..it throws its mantle over the prey, then leisurely tears it apart and eats it..
Story has one error. NO way the octopus ingested the gull in under a minute. The octopus has a beak..like a parrot’s beak..very sharp..it throws its mantle over the prey, then leisurely tears it apart and eats it..
Story has one error. NO way the octopus ingested the gull in under a minute. The octopus has a beak..like a parrot’s beak..very sharp..it throws its mantle over the prey, then leisurely tears it apart and eats it..
Octopi are about as smart as a cat. If fact they are almost the full-water version of a cat.
They like humans, and will stay with you in the water if you don’t pose as ANY kind of threat, just like cats.
They used to keep an octopus in a big tank over at the Hatfield Science Center on the Oregon Coast. Faculty who worked late would hear a big SPLAT & come running with dustpans to put it back. For some reason, it wanted out!
Wow; never saw that one before. Thanks, T.
I think the 53 seconds is in reference from gull appearing alive to gull being drowned, then pulled under for thanksgiving dinner.
I’ve seen an octopus do this up on Sonora Island - assassin of the deep! These octopi will scuttle in and out of the water at low tide to grab likely looking eats on the shore.
Between them and the black bears, it’s a wonder any crabs lived on the rocky strand at all!
Talk about bad ass, Cod will attack an octopus, and will spin furiously to twist off an appendage. The Octopus is doomed once it loses 3 or 4. I wish I could find the video on the net.
“Octopi are about as smart as a cat. If fact they are almost the full-water version of a cat.”
They can’t be that smart or they would never even think about eating a sea gull, rats with wings is all they are!
Maybe, but cats eat mice, cockroaches and other animals that I bet you wouldn’t eat either.
i don't what cat you got that will stay with you in the water. did you mean catFISH?
Good gravy, Ginger. Grow up. The natural world of Mama Gia is cruel.
Octopi are about as smart as a cat. If fact they are almost the full-water version of a cat.
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That was an example of a simile.
that put a simile on my face.
that was a pun.
What a stupid line.
**To commemorate witnessing and photographing this amazing event, Ginger, Ken and Lou went out for a calamari lunch.**
They ate squid to celebrate an octopus eating a bird.
Not a stupid line at all.
Gourmets Ginger, Ken and Lou prefer calamari that taste like seagulls.
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