Ticked Off Octopus Tries to Steal Photographer’s Camera

Photography News

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a wily octopus try to make off with a photographer’s camera, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less amusing to watch. Witness a Great Pacific Octopus get up close and personal with a photographer off the coast of California:

Photographers David Malvestuto and Warren Murray captured the event on video as proof of their close encounter with wildlife. The photos below, taken with Murray’s camera, also serve as proof. Murray knew he would need this proof as soon as the octopus began entangling itself around the underwater camera rig, hence Murray’s reluctance to give up the camera—despite being ambushed by an eight-foot-long sea creature.

At first glimpse, the divers thought the camouflaged octopus was a rock until it moved, revealing that it was a living creature.

A look down the octopus’s tentacles as it wrapped around the camera.

Losing interest in the camera, the octopus retreats to deeper waters.

This story, and all the other stories of animal photography gone wrong, should serve as a reminder that we, as humans and photographers, are just visitors when photographing in the wild. Respect the animals and do not encroach on their living quarters without expecting them to—in the best case scenario—get a little curious about what you are up to.