Researchers at University of Auckland documented the real-life sharktopus during a December 2023 expedition in the Hauraki Gulf near Kawau Island. The sighting was unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is that octopuses aren’t known for hanging out near the water’s surface.

The rare sighting of an octopus riding on top of a shark was shared by scientists with the University of Auckland after it was captured off the coast of New Zealand.

A shortfin mako shark, the fastest-swimming shark in the world, was caught on camera with an octopus catching a ride on its back off the coast of New Zealand.