Look, I think everyone who has ever been on a waverunner or inner tube behind a boat can vouch for the fact that it’s pretty fun to saddle up and splash through the waves.

That said, I’m not sure many of those same people would saddle up if they were hopping on the back of a shark instead.

This octopus, though, must have been feeling brave.

The video came from the Hauraki Gulf ear Kawau Island in New Zealand, and scientists from the University of Auckland call it a “mysterious sight indeed.” It was shot in December of 2023 during a research trip.

The animals in question are a seabed-dwelling octopus and a shortfin mako shark that typically prefers shallower waters. The two animals typically exist in different depths, since the octopus feels its way along the bottom, staying clear of the dangerous open waters that predators like the shortfin mako sharks prefer.

In fact, if an octopus normally wandered into the path of said shark, it would have a good chance of becoming a (presumably) tasty snack.

Professor Rochelle Constantine said she and her team observed the sight with their own eyes for about ten minutes.

“The octopus may have been in for quite the experience since the world’s fastest shark species can reach 50kph.”

An unlikely friendship indeed.

I’m just waiting for Pixar to pick up this video and run with it into a full-length feature film.

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