The Octopus That Becomes Other Animals — Science Has No Full Explanation

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:01]What if the most dangerous creature in the ocean wasn't a monster at all?

[00:00:08]What if it was something so intelligent it convinced the entire ocean it was something else?

[00:00:16]At first glance, this place looks completely lifeless.

[00:00:22]But somewhere down here, something is watching. It has eight arms, three hearts, and blood that runs blue.

[00:00:50]But none of that is what terrifies scientists because this animal can transform itself into other creatures.

[00:01:03]Not once, not accidentally, strategically.

[00:01:26]This is the mimic octopus and scientists still cannot fully explain how it works.

[00:01:41]Our story begins in Indonesia.

[00:01:46]The year was 1998.

[00:01:53]In 1998, a diver in Indonesia noticed something unusual. The kind of place most divers completely ignore.

[00:02:06]And then he saw something strange.

[00:02:13]At first, it looked like a normal octopus.

[00:02:20]Then suddenly it transformed.

[00:02:27]Its body stretched flat against the sand.

[00:02:35]Its arms moved like fins.

[00:02:41]And every predator nearby backed away.

[00:02:50]What he saw next made no sense.

[00:02:55]It wasn't camouflage.

[00:03:02]This was impersonation.

[00:03:11]The octopus was pretending to be another animal.

[00:03:18]And it was unbelievably convincing.

[00:03:23]Convincing enough to fool predators that had evolved beside it for millions of years.

[00:03:33]>> Normally, the mimic octopus looks surprisingly ordinary.

[00:03:38]Its body is pale brown, perfect for disappearing into sand.

[00:03:48]Its body is pale brown.

[00:03:52]But everything changes the moment danger appears. In seconds, its entire body begins to transform.

[00:04:07]Tiny pigment cells explode with color across its skin. Texture changes ripple across its body.

[00:04:19]It shape becomes something entirely different.

[00:04:27]Its most famous disguise is the flatfish.

[00:04:34]The common octopus tucks its arms together behind its body, flattens itself into a thin living disc.

[00:04:49]From a distance, it looks exactly like a toxic flatfish. Predators don't take the risk.

[00:05:01]But the flatfish disguise isn't always enough.

[00:05:08]>> Sometimes the octopus chooses a much darker performance.

[00:05:16]It hides six arms completely, leaving only two behind.

[00:05:29]whose arms begin moving like a venomous sea snake.

[00:05:38]One of the deadliest snakes on Earth.

[00:05:43]And again, the predators retreat.

[00:05:51]Then comes its most dramatic transformation.

[00:05:57]lion fish disguise.

[00:06:04]Its arms spread outward like poisonous spines.

[00:06:11]Especially useful against larger fish attacking from above.

[00:06:20]One mistake with a lion fish can be fatal.

[00:06:27]So the predator chooses survival instead.

[00:06:34]Scientists believe this animal can imitate more than 15 species. ALS, sea slugs, even mantis shrimp.

[00:07:00]>> The density here, it's unprecedented for this depth.

[00:07:03]>> Logging the coordinates now. Adjusting buoyancy. But even a handful of confirmed mimicries changes everything we thought we knew.