Researchers at University of Auckland documented the real-life sharktopus during a December 2023 expedition in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. The sighting was unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is that octopuses aren’t known for hanging out near the water’s surface.

Researchers off the coast of New Zealand caught a rare sight on camera - an octopus hitching a ride on the back of an ultra-fast shark species.

Rare footage captured by scientists in New Zealand in 2023 shows an octopus riding on the back of a shark. In a recently released study, scientists say they still aren’t sure how the deep sea-dwelling Maori octopus encountered the mako shark near the waters surface.