Animal cooperation: octopuses and fish hunt together!

Animal cooperation: octopuses and fish hunt together!

The collaboration between different animal species is not only fascinating, but also widespread in nature. Current research shows that communities between different species often consist of a complex network of interactions. Particular attention is paid to the cooperation between octopuses and reef fish, which not only serves to obtain food, but also enables deeper insights into the cognitive abilities of the species involved. The biologist Eduardo Sampaio from the Konstanz Cluster of Excellence “Collective Behavior” and the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Biology examined this topic in more detail together with psychologists from Cambridge University and the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn. Campus University of Konstanz reports that the current article in the journal Current Biology sheds light on the cognitive basis of this special type of cooperation.

Octopuses and reef fish show how coordinated attacks increase the likelihood of catching prey. The fish tell the octopuses where prey is hiding, while the octopuses can increase the hunting success of both species by cleverly wrapping themselves around or scaring the prey out of their hiding places. This requires remarkable flexibility in the behavior of the octopus, which has to adapt its approach to the circumstances and the demands of its hunting partner. On this basis, the possibility that fish exploiting this cooperation may risk negative consequences is also discussed. The study therefore focuses on topics such as signal processing, role specialization and dynamic decision making. These new findings open interesting perspectives on animal intelligence and underscore that social complexity and problem-solving skills must emerge not only within a species, but also across species.

Cognitive skills and problem solving

But intelligent behavior is not only observed in maritime habitats. There are numerous examples of remarkable problem-solving skills in the animal world. Chimpanzees have been using tools to crack nuts for over 4,300 years. Excavations in Ivory Coast have documented this by finding stones with wear marks indicating use by chimpanzees. The most modern studies show that birds such as crows and ravens also have exceptional intelligence. These animals are capable of complex solutions to problems, such as dropping nuts on roads for cars to crack. Planet knowledge highlights that some crows specifically visit zebra crossings to safely obtain food.

In addition, ravens raised in a protected environment by humans show the ability to think through solutions in their heads before applying them in practice. This ability to transfer previous experiences to new situations is considered the key to animal intelligence. However, intelligence is not limited to a particular type or behavior but diversifies into different forms such as craft, ecological and social intelligence.

Another example that illustrates the complexity of animal intelligence is the behavior of mangrove herons, which throw twigs into the water as bait. This ability to secure food for oneself shows that intelligence has many faces and is not just determined by brain size. Even animals with smaller brains, such as starfish and crabs, demonstrate remarkable environmental and social intelligence.

In summary, research on animal intelligence and cross-species cooperation offers new perspectives on understanding social behavior. The studies by Sampaio and his colleagues vastly expand our knowledge of the complexity of life in the animal kingdom. Whether in water or on land, animals' ability to cooperate and solve problems reveals how deeply rooted the roots of social life are in nature.