India, March 22 -- It's not every day you see an octopus hitching a ride on a shark, but one resourceful cephalopod seemed to do just that. In a rare and remarkable sight, a Maori octopus was spotted clinging to the back of a shortfin mako shark-one of the fastest predators in the ocean. The moment, captured on video in December 2023 and released this week, unfolded in the waters of Hauraki Gulf, off the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Marine scientists were left both surprised and amused after witnessing a rare sight of the Maori octopus hitching a ride on a shortfin mako shark.

Researchers observed the bright orange-hued octopus clinging to the back of the shark in the waters of Hauraki Gulf, off the northern coast of Ne...