Do Octopus Eat Whales?

Scientists geek out at octopuses munching on whale carcass on sea floor. These scientists are pretty excited to be witnessing a mass of hungry cephalopods and fish eating a whale carcass.

What does an octopus eat?

Newly hatched octopuses will eat small foods such as copepods, larval crabs, and sea stars. Adult octopuses feed on crabs, clams, snails, small fishes, and even other octopuses. All species of octopus have venom of varying levels of toxicity, which they inject using a beak that is similar to a bird's.

Can a killer whale eat an octopus?

The majority of toothed whales will eat whale food species such as squid, octopus, crustaceans and fish. Other toothed whales, such as the killer whale, will hunt bigger marine mammals including whale food such as seals, sharks, birds, and even other whales.