In extraordinary footage captured off the coast of New Zealand's North Island in the Hauraki Gulf, marine scientists from the University of Auckland documented a rare, real-life mystery: a large Māori octopus clinging tightly to the back of a shortfin mako shark. Dubbed the "Sharktopus" by researchers, the unusual pair appeared surprisingly calm as the octopus hitched a ride across the open ocean, anchored safely just behind the fast-swimming shark’s head and gills, well out of reach of its jaws. Because Māori octopuses typically inhabit the seabed while mako sharks cruise pelagic surface waters, marine biologists remain puzzled as to how the deep-water hitchhiker ended up there in the first place making it one of the most intriguing and bizarre underwater encounters ever recorded. #Sharktopus
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- 31 Oct 2026
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