It’s generally accepted that octopi are very intelligent, clever creatures. However, the depths of their cunning has never truly been measured, until now. An underwater camera, in South Africa’s False Bay, captured footage of one of the molluscs stealing an entire bait cannister – that was attached with three cable ties – while keeping a shark at bay!

The incredible footage is part of University of Cape Town research and was recorded earlier this year, however reseachers only recently took note of the underwater theft. Research assistant Lauren de Vos spoke to the Cape Times:

We were flummoxed by how clever they are, smart enough to un-clip the bait canister which is not easy, and we’ve had several pieces of equipment stolen. We’ve got it all on film.

The cunning octopus managed to untie three cable ties, while fending off a pajama catshark, all under the pressure of the ever-watching research camera.

[Source: GrindTv]