Ah so they are like having a cat
No, no they don’t.
They exhibit a behavior that looks like punching when viewed by human behaviors, and is interpreted as spite by humans that absolutely, in no way, can read the emotional state of an octopus.
Fucking shitty science writing.
So what your saying is, the octopuses are just randomly hitting fish.
Which could very easily be seen as just going “man, fuck you” just because they can. Which could constitute doing so out of spite.
No, I’m saying there is a behavior. This behavior is linked with octopuses and fish that pair up for food gathering. It isn’t random.
Trying to ascribe a human motivation to it in any way is just fantasy. Nothing wrong with that, per se. But it’s shitty science, and the twit that published the original article the behavior was described in fucked up by engaging in imagination instead of good science.
“Spite” is no more or less likely than it being a bro punch. It could be a repositioning effort, it could be some other communication. It could be a necessary way of engaging some sort of neurochemical. We don’t know. The last of those is the only one that can be empirically tested at all with current technology, and I’m not sure if there’s enough background work done on the neurochemical makeup of the species involved to draw any useful conclusions with that possible testing.
Pretty sure it’s for fun, not spite.
Like how dolphins play volleyball with a puffer fish?
“I’ll do it just to say I done it.”
Otherwise known as: They exhibit a behavior that’s purpose is not currently known.
If I remember correctly, they will also do this to new fish if they think they are trying to do what the previous fish did, which was often taking food.
I like this.
Octopus are ridiculously intelligent. I suggest reading “The Soul of an Octopus.”
My team
Octopus is backwards
