Yes, Octopuses Really Throw Things at Each Other — But Not Exactly Like the Viral Video Shows
Somewhere on the seafloor off eastern Australia, an octopus gathers a fistful of silt, repositions its siphon between its rear arms and jets the material straight into the body of another octopus nearby. It is not an accident. And it happens more often than you might think.
A viral Instagram video posted in April 2026 showed an octopus throwing rocks at another octopus, along with a claim that females fling objects at persistent males. The video turned out to be AI-generated — but the underlying behavior is real and documented.
Caught on Camera in Jervis Bay
In a 2022 study published in PLOS One, researchers at the University of Sydney led by Prof Peter Godfrey-Smith recorded the common Sydney octopus, Octopus tetricus, doing exactly that. Using stationary underwater cameras in Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia, the team captured over 21 hours of footage from 2015 field recordings, observing roughly 10 individual octopuses.
They documented 102 total throws. Each involved an octopus gathering debris — silt, algae or shells — into its arms and web, then forcefully ejecting the material using jet propulsion from its siphon. In some cases, octopuses also extended an arm to help propel objects outward.
Both males and females were recorded throwing material. But the majority of throws came from females, with two females alone responsible for 66% of all throws observed.
Not Just Housekeeping
Some of the throwing appeared tied to routine tasks. About 32% of throws were linked to den cleaning, and 8% occurred after feeding, with shells being the most commonly thrown material in that context.
But here is where it gets interesting: 53% of throws occurred within two minutes of a social interaction with another octopus — fighting, mating or grappling. These interaction-linked throws often involved silt rather than shells.
Of those socially connected throws, 33% — 17 instances — resulted in the debris actually hitting another octopus. And several behavioral clues suggest some of those strikes were deliberate. Researchers noted that throws appearing to target another octopus involved unusual arm combinations to hold the material, higher force and vigor and notably darker body coloration during the throw. Darker coloration had previously been associated with aggressive behavior in octopuses.
In one documented case, “a shell was, at least in part, flung by straightening an arm, and hit another octopus.”
Some of the targeted octopuses even appeared to react before impact, raising their arms or ducking — suggesting they could see it coming.
An Assertion of Personal Space
Prof Peter Godfrey-Smith put the behavior in perspective.
“The throwing – or propelling, or projecting – of objects that have been gathered and held is rare in the animal kingdom. To propel an object, even for a short distance, under water is especially unusual, and also quite hard to do,” he said.
“I think quite a lot of it is a bit like an assertion of ‘personal space,’” he added.
“In quite a few cases, females have thrown material at male octopuses who have been attempting to mate with them … But in other cases, females throw and hit other females.”
The full function of the behavior remains unclear. Some throws landed in empty space with no apparent target. Researchers found no clear evidence that throws consistently initiated fights or triggered retaliation. The team suggested the behavior could relate to den maintenance, incidental displacement during other activities or possible social signaling and space-keeping.
What is clear: octopuses are among the rare animals on Earth that collect objects and deliberately project them — sometimes right at their neighbors. That is a fact worth sharing.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
