The video in which the Italian model has gone viral Federico Cola in the splendid waters of Seychelles he found himself face to face with a giant octopus. A sudden “attack” by the wonderful creature and an exchange of “loving feelings” between the two.
In fact, many commented with amusement under Cola’s post and “celebrated” her birth of a lovealthough unlikely. But that’s not exactly the case.
True, it cannot be said that in that video the octopus was super mistreated, but be careful: when an octopus “attaches” itself to a human being, it does not mean that it is “in love”, as wrongly interpreted in the video.
What happened
After finding himself being attacked by a octopus While swimming in the sea, Federico Cola joked on social media that he had found his “true love” after the animal literally wrapped itself around his body.
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The model then brought the octopus to shore to display and, after apparently befriending the mollusk, he is seen dousing it with sea water on the shore before strangely letting it crawl all over his back.
The video quickly went viral with as many as 26.6 million users tuning in and over 12,000 users Instagram who commented on it
He’s falling in love with you, most joked.
But many others, including Octonationa group of Instagram activists, didn’t see the interaction as tender and loving as Cola’s many followers and lambasted the model for his alleged behavior.”harsh and unproductive” towards the sea creature, sparking a great debate.
Cola and the organization exchanged several opinions in now-deleted comments. The two sides eventually made their conversation private, where they were able to reach a resolution.
Octonation later released a lengthy statement apologizing for the misunderstanding, and upon further examination, the group declared that the octopus was “probably senescent and exhibiting end-of-life behavior“, explaining the “intimate” conduct with the model.
Because it wasn’t love
As we mentioned before, when an octopus “attaches” to a human being, it does not mean that it is “in love”. There may actually be a series of reasons behind it:
Curiosity and tactile exploration
Octopuses are incredibly intelligent and curious animals. Their tentacles are equipped with hundreds of suckers, which not only adhere to surfaces, but also serve as sensory organs. Through the suckers, the octopus can “taste” and recognize the chemistry of what it touches. If the octopus attaches itself to a human, it is probably exploring the new surface to figure out whether it is food, a predator, or simply an object.
Defense mechanism or self-control
Depending on the situation, the octopus might attach itself to a person for protection or to control its balance in an unfamiliar environment. If he has been disturbed or senses potential danger, he may try to immobilize or maintain contact to better understand the threat.
Reaction to water pressure and environment
Sometimes, the octopus attaches itself to objects or animals to stabilize itself or move better in turbulent environments. If the person moves through the water or creates currents, the octopus may use its suction cups to temporarily anchor itself.
Hunting instinct or search for food
An octopus might attack because it interprets the human’s hand or arm as possible prey or food source. This happens especially if the person has recently handled marine foods, leaving odorous residues that attract the octopus.
Defensive behavior and attempted dominance
Some octopuses, particularly the more territorial ones, may latch onto an intruder in their space as a form of warning or intimidation. If an octopus perceives a threat, it can huddle together to prevent the presumed enemy from moving away, then considering whether to bite or release ink to escape.
Why isn’t it about “love”?
The idea that the octopus “falls in love” with a person is obviously a case of anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human emotions to an animal with a completely different physiology and cognition. Octopuses do not form social bonds like mammals and, in most species, are solitary, interacting with other individuals only to mate. Even then, physical contact is often brief and may end in aggression or flight.
It goes without saying, therefore, that the behavior of the octopus in this viral video is much more likely due to curiosity, self-defense or the search for food, rather than a feeling of affection. It seems obvious, right?
Cola finally intervened by saying:
I’m glad that after watching my whole video, you understood that it was an amazing event and that I just wanted to show people that we can love this special animal.
All’s well that ends well and yes… All we need is love.