A dolphin caught in the process of eating an octopus in Jervis Bay. Picture: Greg Maloney, Dolphin Watch Cruises
Source: Supplied
BEING the world's smartest mollusc wasn't enough to save this octopus from the jaws of a dolphin.
The mature bottlenose dolphin found its brainy but unlucky lunch
while hunting in reefs near Huskisson on Jervis Bay on the NSW south
coast."We'd been watching a group of between 20 and 30 dolphins when this one surfaced with the occy in its mouth,'' Dolphin Watch Cruises skipper Greg Maloney said.
"It was bashing it on the surface of the water for a good 10 minutes trying to stun the occy so it could start eating.
"Dolphins have great gripping teeth, but the teeth are not very good at tearing up their food so they need to stun the occy before starting to eat it or the occy can get away.
"Sometimes the octopus does win, and escape, but this one didn't.''
Octopus's large complex brains are seen as compensating for losing the hard shell that protects other mollusks like snails and clams.
It's just that dolphins are smarter. When Animal Planet listed the top ten smartest animals on the planet, dolphins were at Number 2 (behind chimps) and octopuses came in at Number 9.
Mr Maloney took the photo about two weeks ago and said dolphins were a common sight in and around Jervis Bay.
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