Fact Check: Video of an octopus-like creature walking, not crawling, on seabed shows robotic spy octopus
A video of a creature looking like an octopus walking on the seabed, not crawling, is in circulation on social media with the claim that octopus is walking on the seabed.
Claim :
Viral video shows an octopus walking, not crawling on the seabedFact :
The creature seen in the viral video is not a real octopus, it is a robotic spy octopus.
A video of a creature looking like an octopus walking on the seabed, not crawling, is in circulation on social media with the claim that octopus is walking on the seabed.
A few users also shared the video with the caption “Rare video of a baby octopus walking on the seabed” while a few other users shared the same video with the caption: “Octopus walking on the seabed. Is there anyone left who doesn't believe in the theory of evolution? #Darwin #evolution
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Fact Check:
The claim is false. The octopus seen in the video is a robotic spy octopus with a camera to understand the behaviour of the real octopus under the sea.
When the key frames extracted from the video were searched using Google reverse image search, we found a few articles about a BBC series ‘Spy in the Wild’.
We also found a longer video published on the YouTube channel of BBC Earth with the title: “The Octopus with Nine Brains I Spy in the Ocean I BBC Earth”, published on June 6, 2023. The description states: “Although this coconut octopus has nine brains, it still needed a little help from our underwater spy robot..”
At the 0.30 seconds mark, the narrator states: “To help fathom it out, another spy is required. One programmed to walk in a similar way, its aim is to communicate with the octopus to find out how clever it really is.”
According to laughingsquid.com which shares the same video, a robotic spy octopus by John Downer Productions provided a cover for a real coconut octopus who was looking for shelter to hide from predators in a heart-warming clip from the David Tennant-narrated BBC/PBS
The spy cephalopod noticed that the octopus found a hiding place inside a piece of drift bamboo. It provided some protection but not enough to ward off the determined predators. The spy approached with a domed coconut shell that could cover the opening. The octopus appeared to think it through and then carefully accepted the shell.
According to scmp.com, the four-part series ‘Spy in the Ocean’ stars the next generation of undercover agents, featuring an animatronic dolphin, octopus, marine Iguana, cuttlefish, seal and even a baby sperm whale.”
Therefore, the creature seen like an octopus is a robotic spy octopus created to understand the life and habits of sea creatures deep under the sea. It is not a real octopus walking on the sea bed. The claim is false.
