The mako shark landed on a Churchys Charters NZ fishing boat in the waters near Whitianga, New Zealand Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013.

The team was off the Northern coast of New Zealand in the Hauraki Gulf in 2023 when they spotted a shortfin mako shark with an orange blob attached to its back. “The ‘sharktopus’ encounter ...

That wasn’t the case for this octopus. In 2023, scientists spotted an eight-armed cephalopod riding on a 10-foot mako shark—and their video of the bizarre journey is now available to view.

"After a few attempts and two others jumping in to help, they managed to get it back into the water." The mako shark is on the list of the most dangerous sharks to humans by AmericanOceans.org.

The team spotted an orange mass on a Mako shark’s head and sent in a pair of cameras for a closer look. They then realized the odd blob was a coiled octopus hitching a ride on the shark.

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