Octopus and Cuttlefish Play Hide and Seek

If you're an octopus fan, our guess is you'll adore its close relative, the noble cuttlefish. These two magnificent beings belong to the family of mollusks and they have many characteristics in common.
One of these characteristics is their amazing ability to hide in plain sight by changing their color and skin patterns. When we came across Mory, the playful cuttlefish introduced in this video, we thought it would be fun to stimulate one of our octopuses with a game of hide and seek.
Rudy, the young octopus in today's video, is very curious and playful, the perfect candidate. After feeding him a big lunch, we were certain we would not be in any way threatening the safety of the smaller cuttlefish.
We set up an observation tank with many hiding spots, lots of different colors and various textures. All we needed to do next was bring these two together and watch the magic happen.
We were of course ready to intervene if at any point they decided to play rough. Luckily, this wasn't the case and these two little guys actually seemed to enjoy the time they spent together.

[@karmallama4686]

Mory has his reverse parking down to a fine art

[@TheAcquibajo]

😂😂😂😂

[@rademfam6856]

Lol

[@arcticbadger1]

karma llama I couldn’t hear the beeping though 🥴

[@lancetheking7524]

@Stephanie Logan like Filipino Jeep drivers

[@Ratlins9]

Now if I could only get Mory to teach my wife parallel parking.

[@NewMessage]

My wife still calls them 'Cuddle fish', because she wants to cuddle one so badly.

[@roomum9829]

🤣🤣🤣 I want to see her try!

[@arcticbadger1]

New Message eeewww! Bit squishy 😆

[@Spill1Over]

Subnautica

[@reneablackheart9563]

Aww same sometimes, except then it would reverse drown

[@lola.cruz916]

Lol tell her you'll be her cuddle fish😊

[@Jens0215]

A chameleon: look what I can do Cuttlefish: hold my beer

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

Jennifer Stanfield cuttlefish: METAMORPHOSIS(disguises as a lump of seaweed Chameleon: You cheat!**turns yellow**

[@markusmottus1686]

Hold my ink

[@duckthepugd9642]

I like chameleons and cuttlefish

[@darthdredz]

How many times have you used that line.

[@arcticbadger1]

Jennifer Stanfield Oi! chameleon get ya coat 😏

[@KattKitt22]

At the end of this quarantine I’m going to be an expert in octopuses.

[@wolfbane4875]

Same

[@Naofumi-Iwatani]

Jotaro kujo would like to know your location

[@KattKitt22]

Naofumi Iwatani My location?

[@Beyondlimits_400]

😂

[@alwff]

same

[@monikag1323]

Mory is so cute! He looks like he's giving a two-finger salute at one point!

[@radiateddalek842]

When Rudy said “🐙” I felt that

[@TheOneAndOnlyLewis]

3:23 - The way Mory's pupils dilated there was amazing.

[@crazyboutferrets]

Lewis Wright ikr

[@mysticdragonwolf89]

Didn’t notice but damn!

[@romellinsleven6983]

Right when Rory goes into the dark too

[@owenmerrick2377]

I wish I had chromatophores; I'd be hiding a lot on the couch, or in the pub.

[@lzeph]

And unicorns. Rainbow farts. (Not to be confused with rainbows that fart, although that too would be awesome.) Imitation lobster meat that actually tastes like lobster.

[@muskokamike127]

@John Barber It's called adaptive camouflage. millions of photovoltaic "cells" on uniforms and vehicles that replicate the surrounding colours and patterns. Another one is the invisibility cloak that bends light around the object. A company has invented a rigid panel that looks like glass that when you put an object behind it, it renders it invisible. And before you say "that's called a wall" lol it shows the view from behind the object. Imagine looking out your front window and seeing a blue car parked at the curb but actually there's a clown standing in front of the car that you can't see due to this panel.

[@muskokamike127]

@John Barber When I was in cadets we did that, but we didn't have anyone shooting at us......I think you had it worse.

[@muskokamike127]

@John Barber I worked construction and I HATED 0 to +5 C winter temps for that very reason. If it snowed it would melt and we'd get soaked. I loved -5 and lower so at least everything was frozen and stayed frozen. I hated the fall and spring because we'get -3 to +5 freezing rain...... Then again, -45 C was pretty miserable too.....had to keep the water bottle inside the coat to keep it from freezing and by the time lunch rolled around lunch was frozen too. One time I set my bottle down and forgot about it for 10 minutes...it was frozen solid.......with no heat source that meant no water for the rest of the day. I didn't complain much because as I said: at least I didn't have anyone shooting at me.

[@hakai9196]

@@muskokamike127 Dehydration does suck, though.

[@barbaracoleman6641]

I never thought an octopus and cuttlefish could be so cute or make me laugh out loud.

[@Noble4Truths]

Rudy just wanted to give Mory some hugs 🤣

[@techgirl517]

Octohugs 🐙🐙🐙 xD

[@LittleBlueOwl318]

Yep - 8 of them LOL

[@cricketcricket9749]

Rudy hugs his coconut before the games begin! Lol

[@LittleBlueOwl318]

He was checking to see if Mory was in there...little dude is a stellar hide n seek opponent

[@riphopfer5816]

This was a cute video. My two favourite creatures on Earth. I was concerned that Rudy would try to eat Mory, given their size differential, but they genuinely appeared to be playing.

[@LavendarRoses]

J. Robert Hopfer if you read the description under this video, you will see why they are playing. 🐙🦑

[@korekiyoshinguji666]

It also says in the description that Rudy had already eaten before the video.

[@naiastra]

Mory's ability to imitate that conglomerate is absolutely flawless, I hope he was well-rewarded.

[@seniorstevensonville]

I'm wondering if maybe the octopus was just wandering around the tank, while the cuttlefish was cautiously observing the octopus. I don't think the cuttlefish was scared for its life. You see a few times where it got closer to the octopus. One time where it put two tentacles up infront of the octopus. Not sure if that's some kind of communication. Either way, cute video.

[@lancetheking7524]

very cute

[@someoneawesome8717]

The putting up two arms is actually a "woah back off"

[@executivebexley252]

I think when they turn their skin white is a kinda scared warning, like it's fight or flight moment, which they both did but then got more comfortable, it's absolutely amazing how sentient a relative of a slug can be!!

[@treborironwolfe978]

I'm turning 45 this year. It makes me feel a little better knowing that Mory is over 400-million-years old.

[@blueeyes6852]

I just love these two! Such smart invertebrates! It's so cool you're educating people about all the wonders in the oceans! Your intro is dope man! Thanks! 🐙

[@TheAcquibajo]

Blue Is I completely agree!!

[@extraterrestrial7424]

Looks like the octopus was more interested in his own reflection than the cuttlefish ^^

[@NicholasSpies]

I've had the pleasure of meeting an octopus in a biologist's sea-water aquarium. His arm span was about 8in. Almost immediately, I got the feeling that I was in the presence of a sentient being, because he reacted to every move I made in real time, so there was no question that he was regarding me with a (prudent) degree of caution, as he stayed in the opposite side of his tank. He didn't seem to be afraid (being used to the biologist, I presume) because he did not blanch or try to escape by moving about. The biologist shared an anecdote about his surprising behavior: At first the octopus was put in a tank adjacent to a (much larger) horseshoe crab, a familiar sight around the beaches of New Jersey, in the US. Horseshoe crabs are fascinating in their own right, surviving for about 450 million years in the same form. Their blue blood is copper-based (rather than iron-based as is our own blood) and used to produce a compound used for medical testing, and a half a million or so are bled per year then returned to their habitat by the pharmaceutical industry. The biologist went home and the next morning found the octopus had crawled one tank further from the crab! After this, the biologist put a visual barrier between the octopus and crab to spare it further anxiety. I heard an even more amazing anecdote in a long, wide-ranging interview with Sir Roger Penrose here on KZbin. The topic of intelligence came up and of course octopuses came up soon after. In this instance, the octopus was obligated to pull on a chain to open a door, etc, etc. The octopus clearly grew annoyed because it pulled the chain so hard it broke and then crawled up the side of the tank and squirted the experimenters, in their white coats, with ink, before retiring! Let this be a cautionary tale for you folks at Octolab.tv! I am curious as to why you subject Rudy, and his friends, to a sterile-seeming environment of blinding white. I don't imagine this is very pleasant for either octopus or cuttlefish, particularly the latter, who in the video seems to be trying really hard to match the white background, which he can't quite match. Although white makes for easier viewing for us, I feel you should compromise with what I imagine would be their preference, namely, to blend in.

[@Viscount3]

Do you see when the cuttlefish puts up his 2 tentacles. That's not the Cuttlefish way of saying "Peace". That's Cuttlefish sign language for "don't touch me". That's at 4 minutes.

[@j9keystone806]

I have a feeling the cuttlefish was in a wary mode. It's too easy to assume the interaction is cute.

[@thesleepyweasel3775]

Did the cuttlefish know the octopus had a big lunch?

[@duckthepugd9642]

TheSleepyWeasel it’s not his lunch read the description

[@Kenvie2000]

@@duckthepugd9642 I think you read his question wrong

[@lancetheking7524]

@@duckthepugd9642 hes asking if the cuttlefish knows the octopus already ate allot

[@popsicIes]

probably not, but since cuttlefishes are smart, he probably figured out that Rudy was just vibing

[@quillquickcard8824]

Very likely it understood relatively quickly that the octopus was not behaving in any overt manner indicating hunting activity. Just as the octopus likely recognized that the cuttlefish was not engaged in hunting activity. At the point where the cuttlefish remained still and put up a couple tentacles, which is a luring behavior for hunting, you can see that the octopus remains at a distance. You can also see times that the octopus folds up its tentacles close to its mantle, which is a protective gesture. Each animal remained aware of the other, acted in a cautious but non-distressed manner, and really just tried to share the space.

[@joeyst-pierre6139]

I'm surprised that neither tries to hunt the other

[@bionic-tale4313]

The video says the octopus had a big lunch, so Its probably not interested in eating the cuttlefish.

[@RirtyDascal]

The cuttlefish would've made a meal out of the octopus if he was smaller. Cuttlefish are brutes that eat their own kind if there's nothing else around. I've never heard of an octopus eating a cuttlefish though.

[@KatJ3st]

I think they are both pretty well fed! Not much fun watching hungry animals in a small enclosure!

[@x15y89]

Wait so some octopus can eat their own cousins?... (Squids, Cuttlefish, Nautilus). Sorry if im wrong since im not a Cephalopod master or expert.

[@caliocat7156]

Yep they stay away from other octopuses because it is scared of being eaten

[@techgirl517]

Rudy: i find youuu Mory: NOPE!

[@M0mazosMissy]

Rudy: Wait, where did he go? Mory: here

[@michaelhayes6887]

I used to work at the New England Aquarium and would watch cuttlefish whenever I could. They are a miracle. Octopus too. Thanks.

[@KenrickLeiba]

Cuttlefish are my favourite animals. I love all cephalopods, but cuttlefish were the ones that got me into them. I think the cuttlefish wins this round of hide and seek, though I don't think the octopus was even trying - I know they can do a great job at hiding if their heart is in it.

[@DaffneyDalilah]

“The cuttlefish is a master of disguise.” @4:03 puts 2 arms up to disguise himself as a bunny rabbit. Me: “Damn he’s good”

[@nekochan8349]

I Think it was a snail 😂

[@DaffneyDalilah]

Some Dude 😂😂😂😂 He should be the next James Bond!

[@nekochan8349]

Daffney, Morry Is Too Cute For That.

[@DaffneyDalilah]

Resurrected Helicoprion - LMAO!!! 😂😂😂 Rudy needs to be credited for discovering this elusive new species of underwater life form...and be rewarded with a second round of hide and seek with him. 😂💕

[@arcticbadger1]

Daffney Dalilah they’re slippery little sausages 😏😆

[@walkure8423]

I think that Rudy instantly saw Mory but was too exited to go on playing the game that he pretended, that he didn't saw Mory XD

[@hadassahdewhitt735]

Love these two amazing creatures. A couple recommended a toothpaste in Thailand, and we used that brand for almost 5 years. My husband read ingredients one day and found one of the natural ingredients was cuttlefish. We were shocked because we had been told the toothpaste was herbal. We stopped using it right away. From then on, we always read ingredients, recommended or not.

[@hedgeandhue]

I love this. You give Morey lots of colour and texture options...... so he throws down and goes for broke as a beige block!

[@dyamano]

yocin yocin Lmao! “ he throws down” 😂🤣👏✌️💯

[@raynightshade8317]

Cuttlefish are adorable

[@2manybooks2littletime25]

Aren't they though?!💖💖🥰

[@elizabethsnyder_baldonado39]

They're BOTH smarter than my ex-husband.

[@timroach7913]

You dear, are simply amazing! 👍🏻

[@elizabethsnyder_baldonado39]

@@timroach7913 🤣BWAAAAAAAAAHHH-HAH-HAH-HAH-uuuhhhh 🤔... I mean, THANK youuuu.😁 My ChihuaRat thinks so, too.😘🐶 Sooo... that's two, out of...7.5 billion... pretty C😎😎L, though, really.😊

[@elizabethsnyder_baldonado39]

@MsBizzyGurl Yup... ain't it the absolute TRUTH...🤦... though, in retrospect, I would've been better off marrying his freakin' 💛CAR.🧡 A SWEET 1975 Brown/tan Mustang... sigh.😢Dang, I miss that car.😘🚖(it wasn't a yellow cab, but I couldn't find a Mustang emojl.)

[@timroach7913]

Elizabeth Snyder_baldonado you mean 3 🥰 out of 7.5 million 🤭😘

[@TheSergio1021]

Judging by your responses, maybe he was smart enough to get the hell out of there.

[@vanitybenevolent]

The heroic bit of music that played when Mory is introduced is literally everything

[@lindaway5889]

Rudy is adorable!!!

[@alisonmary1443]

Through your videos I am not only discovering more about the amazing Octopus but I am now finding them quite adorable and cute 💖

[@cutecobra9696]

Now I wonder how an octopus and a squid would interact with each other.

[@vangogo6819]

I imagined there would be a lot of sikbbidy paps and haberdasheries but I guess I was wrong!🤣🤣🤣

[@frostbitetheannunakiiceind6574]

Same

[@leonarddement4058]

At one point the cuttlefish raises two arms like it's saying "hi!"

[@KameradeKitten]

2:35 That Cuttlefish is really good at hiding, it just moonwalks out of sight! Gotta hide with style 🤣

[@tupecktherappingparrot4345]

Our parrots love this channel sooooo much! Birds often like marine life for some odd reason. Many of our friends have a pet fish for their bird. Lol. And us humans in this fam love marine life so we love this channel cuz our birds like it too. YAY A CUTTLEFISH!!! Love those too, they’re clever! I want more of this octopus+cuttlefish Content in my life! Well done! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@davethomas5161]

Do you give your birds cuttlebone? It comes from cuttlefish!

[@reginaldstellaanddoomagedd7495]

Explains why my birds hang by the fish tank hahaha. I just thought she was weird

[@reginaldstellaanddoomagedd7495]

@John Barber Why would a pet have it's own pet? How would a bird look after a fish? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@korekiyoshinguji666]

@John Barber Um, I think the fish is for it to look and enjoy, I think. The human probably takes care of it instead.

[@kroakie4]

You know your bird is spoiled when you buy it a pet. 🤣

[@Lily-Bravo]

As my elderly neighbour would say "That's a fine cuttle of fish!"

[@rebeccaanne9863]

The part I thought was really cool was when the cuttlefish turned yellowish and raised two tentacles straight up making itself look like a Giant Sea Slug. I had no idea that cuttlefish mimicked in that manner. I thought they were just color changers.

[@saga2964]

This is more of a cat 'n mouse than playdate.... Poor Cuddy...

[@chaliyang772]

Reminds me of my Dad, but he was better at hiding because he still is.

[@quentinkirk3870]

5:14 Conceited Octopus "Damn I'm Handsome "

[@chriscraven9335]

3:58: I dig Mory's impression of a slug

[@oldbatwit5102]

All that is needed is a very small football and two tiny jumpers.

[@pebblesthecat3625]

I love the way Mory tried to make friends with Rudy by giving him the Vulcan greeting with his two front tentacles " Live long and prosper Rudy "

[@dorothydean8643]

Notice how beautiful octopus legs are. The move with a graceful motion like a cats tail. I love watching.

[@EPSTomcat11]

Lol this is too cute! Octo trying to hide in the corner

[@sapper8643]

this warms my heart

[@zoebowdery2219]

I was just wondering when the next instalment of octo lab and it poped up love morey the cuttlefish and rudy the octopus they looked like they having fun rudy look like he was pretending to be a rock like he was trying to copy morey love the two cutie pies bless them from zoe in England can't wait for the next one

[@petertothRC-FPV]

🏁Cuttlefish🏆I`m glad he was not going to eat the little guy.Surely they have a way to speak to each other.Good show👍

[@jimatmile56]

The poor little cuttlefish is probably scared he'll be eaten. :(

[@rdecook651]

I was wondering if the octopus would try to eat it

[@2manybooks2littletime25]

I don't think that cuttlefish are their usual choice for food; however, the octopus has been seen cannibalizing its own. 😱

[@debrajessen7975]

Rita Decook That is why the tank has a few shrimp swimming around in it. These would only try to eat something bigger if they were starving and cannot get anything else. Then we would be seeing a fight to the death probably.

[@dontask2421]

In the description they said that the octopus was fed before they let it near the cuttlefish.

[@LavendarRoses]

Please read the description before you jump to conclusions.

[@offishworker1109]

I don't know if they're playing hide and seek or tag, but I don't care because THIS IS CUTE!

[@debrabolton9372]

I adore these two! Very, very sweet. 🦑🐙

[@UmbraeNacht]

3:04 Mory: If I can't see Rudy, he can't see me!

[@A_A_K_123]

Rudy should pretend to be Mory so that Mory thinks he's looking at his own reflection. Then Rudy tags Mory to be it and Mory tries to return the favor. Chaos ensues.

[@TheAcquibajo]

Rudy! You are a very handsome young guy. That being said, however, I must say I caught you cheating while playing with Mory! But since it appeared to be with just one eye, perhaps it can be overlooked this time?

[@flanneryred5755]

That was amazing! I had a HUGE smile on my face the whole time! What a handsome octopus and an adorable little cuttlefish!

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

I keep yelling @ my screen "he's _right behind_ you, Rudy!" I never realized how small these species are. 💖🐙💖🦑

[@snacky-cp8hm]

Why does the starting music with the cuddle fish make me feel like I'm about to go on a long awaited adventure

[@frostbitetheannunakiiceind6574]

marvel type reveal

[@Moogenew]

OMG the cuttlefish is so cute

[@IslandGirlKelly]

Poor Mory. He has no clue that the big guy was fed a massive feed. He's in fear that he's on the lunch menu. 🦑

[@iam_87]

Cuttlefish are my new favorite animal

[@amandaschroeder799]

Yay! My two favorite sea creatures!!!!

[@holydemon84]

Due to the size difference, this cuttlefish is obviously threatened and is more likely become dinner for the octopus. If the cuttlefish is bigger, it would have preyed on the octopus.

[@birdynerb]

I LOVE Cuttlefishes! I'm just watching this whole video aw'ing at it

[@heikerosenau1520]

Cuddlefish... 🤗

[@lindavana.8627]

4:15 You can 't see me, I'm just a brick!

[@leonarddement4058]

Don't think it's hide and seek. I think the cuttlefish is genuinely scared.

[@scorchclasstitan6727]

Cuttlefish: who are you ? Octopus: *hehe I’m you but cooler*

[@asmodeus1234]

When they raise 2 tentacles up like that, it's a warning sign

[@xisotopex]

the cuttlefish was trying its best to stay the f away from the octopus...

[@bordenfleetwood5773]

Interesting experiment. It's always interesting to see how predators use their skills when they're sated and want to have some "fun."

[@pam81161]

Watching a cuttlefish hide from an octopus...this is what my life has become. I could do worse. Lol.

[@rosenia5409]

Octopus: Hey- Cuttlefish: No. Octopus: okay :(

[@jeepfvr]

Kudos to the editor of these videos. This is yet another one with which the music perfectly matches the scenario.

[@ShasOSwoll]

With an intro like that I expect Moray to show up in Smash

[@pil4r]

More than playing hide and seek, it looks to me that the cuttlefish wanted some peace time and the octopus was just pursuing and bothering him xD

[@hadrianbuiltawall9531]

I don't doubt their intelligence but I seriously doubt their eyesight.

[@momshieyhamzkie9830]

4:10 the Cuttlefish was like, "Here I am buddy!" LMAO

[@elliot_rat]

i think that's a defensive/hostile stance

[@dinobot_maximize]

not really a friendly hide and seek game as the cuttlefish is changing into threatening patterns.

[@jeanninestacy8969]

I am housebound. I dream of someday being able to get to an aquarium, and when I do will park my chair in front of the octopus tank and stay till closing time. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@great-grandmakirk8828]

I have to go back and rewatch all Octolab videos 😂😂

[@harrisonpaley]

Delicious looking fish tank

[@itskinaraaa]

2:15 - bottom right corner I thought Lil' man *glitched* off the screen, the way he took off so fast...😂🤣🤣

[@elliot_rat]

HAHAHA OMG MY MANS TELEPORTED

[@marlaleemouse]

I bet they'd rather play that game in the ocean.

[@breshannondevereaux7725]

Who knew a sleeping Cuttlefish would be SO ADORABLE! And you can tell he's dreaming, too! Amazing creatures, cephalopods! Been in love with Octopus forever! Thank you for sharing such interesting behavior! New sub!

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

Fascinating.

[@todayintheshopbanksy5904]

Best video ever. Love a good Octi, and Cuttlefish.

[@m.valdivia8048]

They introduced Mory like a new Smash bro’s fighter man... like with music and everything 🤣

[@Ziggerath]

I swear that was Traverse town music in the beginning. Got me good

[@Somebody9666]

Lol the cuttlefish at 4:01 'I give up! Don't shoot me pls!. Looks more like cops and robbers to me.

[@lotterlisa3859]

You see them playing hide and seek? Well then I see them joking about the people staring at them.

[@annn9917]

I always feel kinda bad for octopuses in small tanks. I still watch and it's educational but I also feel bad. they must know the are in a tiny space

[@drummerboy6358]

Who else is a fan of these Octo Beatz 🎶 😁😂🔥

[@PhoenixFires9]

I found this by accident buy I find watching them so soothing : )

[@th1nk_outside]

If Mory was a crab the game would be over in 5 seconds

[@Zithorius]

3:58 Cuttle: I am snail Octo: Nah 4:02 Cuttle: AM. SNAIL. Octo: Aight... I'ma head out.

[@peekeyeseek]

As a wee girl watching old movies or a swashbuckling adventure film with an Octopus in it, I'd always sigh with relief when the crew of the ship conquered the big sea beast. Phew. Then my dad would go 'aye' grin then say ' just watch' Then the big beastie would find some other way to trash the ship. My Dad said that they were dead clever. 40 odd years plus have came and gone since watching these old flicks and I'm thinking how the hell did he know that? He was born in 1930.

[@anitababacsi]

Cuties! ❤️️🐙❤️️🐙❤️️