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

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.

While on a research trip in December 2023, marine scientists observed an octopus attached to the head of a shortfin mako shark. The sighting was off the northern coast of the North Island of New ...

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 ...

The team was off the Northern coast of New Zealand in the Hauraki Gulf in 2023 when they spotted a shortfin mako shark with an orange blob attached to its back. “The ‘sharktopus’ encounter ...

Sometimes we all need a little help. And it can come from unlikely places. Carla Mascarenhas is the NSW correspondent covering breaking news, state politics and investigations. She is based in ...