Screw aliens, we need to be worried about the octopuses<\/p>\n
Would-be marine biologists are losing their minds on TikTok, not over killer whales or great white sharks, but on what could very well be aliens from outer space: The majestic gloomy octopus.<\/p>\n
The ocean is as mysterious as it is terrifying, but sometimes, it can just be a really cool place. Case and point, the anglerfish saga<\/a> from earlier this year. The viral video showed the final moments of the sea creature\u2019s life, and people went nuts with anglerfish deepdives, <\/a>compelling theories<\/a>, and comparisons to other odd stories<\/a> about our water-dwelling neighbours.<\/p>\n Now, just six months later, there\u2019s another deep-sea creature capturing the hearts and minds of people on TikTok<\/a>: Octopuses? Octopi? You get the point, but basically, they\u2019re building cities.<\/p>\n What are Octopolis and Octolantis?<\/p>\n Sharks get a bad rap as the killers of the oceans (when it\u2019s actually dolphins<\/a>), and orcas are trying to take down billionaires (which is completely fair), but octopuses are undoubtedly the unsung heroes of the seven seas.<\/p>\n Not only are they incredibly smart, as in solving human problems level of smart, but they\u2019re the subject of countless conspiracy theories ranging from aliens from outer space to the creatures who will rule the Earth once we\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly proof of those conspiracy theories, but if you need convincing of the octopuses\u2019 innate coolness, look no further than the Octopus cities, Octopolis and Octolantis.<\/p>\n The first of the octopus cities, Octopolis, was discovered by marine researchers in 2009. Located in Jervis Bay, on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, Octopolis contained the octopus equivalent of housing in the form of scallop shells. The city was set out in an ellipse shape and housed up to 16 gloomy octopuses at a time, despite being solitary creatures.<\/p>\n In 2016, researchers discovered a second city in the area, naming it Octolantis. Though not cities in the typical sense, researchers noted how the rare ecological practice highlighted the shocking ingenuity of the species. Not only were they essentially building homes to protect them from predators, but researchers witnessed them socialising, bickering, and even \u201cevicting\u201d one another.<\/p>\n Hold on, so why is it going viral now?<\/p>\n \n @joshallyn<\/a> <\/p>\n I need a reality show about this ASAP #octocities<\/a> #octopolis<\/a> #octlantis<\/a> #basementbiology<\/a><\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 Basement Biology<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Considering Octopolis was founded in 2009, and Octolantis in 2016, you might be questioning why it\u2019s suddenly boomed over on TikTok. It seems to be the result of a video posted by Josh Allyn, a wildlife biologist and content creator who was just as shocked as the rest of us.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kinda pissed right now. Was nobody going to tell me that octopuses are creating their own underwater cities?\u201d he said in his post, which racked up 13 million views. \u201cI had to find out through Instagram Reels. What the hell.\u201d<\/p>\n People were just as enthralled in the comments, as one person wrote: \u201cEveryone\u2019s trying to go to space, NO we need to go to the ocean, we are missing out on stuff like Octopolis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean to tell me we don\u2019t have constant observation of these cities??? It\u2019s been eight years! It has been so different now,\u201d another pointed out.<\/p>\n Someone else wrote: \u201cSecret Lives of Octowives has so much potential.\u201d<\/p>\n Do we think Jet2 Holiday offer a package deal?<\/p>\n For more like this,\u00a0like The Tab on Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Featured image credit: TikTok<\/p>\n