Who would win in a fight? Shark or Giant Octopus?

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Shark or Octopus?

Imagine you're in an aquarium tank. There are spiny dogfish sharks swimming around and giant octopus lurking on the bottom.

Which would you be more afraid of? The shark or the octopus?

Who would win in a fight between the two?

About Sharks 

The spiny dogfish, spurdog, mud shark, or piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias, is one of the best known of the dogfish which are members of the family Squalidae in the order Squaliformes. While these common names may apply to several species, Squalus acanthias is distinguished by having two spines (one Category: wikt - :anterior|anterior to each dorsal fin) and lacks an anal fin. It is found mostly in shallow waters and further offshore in most parts of the world, especially in temperate waters.

Shark Links 

Spiny Dogfish Shark
The spiny dogfish is believed to be the worlds' most abundant shark and is the predominant shark species in Alaska.
sharks , great white sharks, tiger sharks at LiveScience.com
LiveScience.com explains sharks , great white sharks , tiger sharks, pictures of sharks and hammerhead sharks
NOVA Online | Island of the Sharks
NOVA Online presents Island of the Sharks
SDNHM: Shark School
Find out about sharks that live off the coast of San Diego and Baja California. We have descriptions of sharks, faqs, a glossary, and some games to play.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Aquarium Exhibits - Sharks: Myth and Mystery
Sharks: Myth and Mystery exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, features sharks and rays from around the world and the ways people celebrate these animals through art, dance and stories.

About the Octopus 

The North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is a large cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. It can be found in the coastal North Pacific, usually at a depth of around 65 meters (215 ft). It can, however, live in much shallower or much deeper waters. It is arguably the largest octopus species, based on a scientific record of a 71 kg (156.5 lb) individual weighed live.Cosgrove, J.A. 1987. Aspects of the Natural History of Octopus dofleini, the Giant Pacific Octopus. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Biology, University of Victoria (Canada), 101 pp. The alternative contender is the Seven-arm Octopus based on a 61 kg (134 lb) carcass estimated to have a live mass of 75 kg (165 lb).O'Shea, S. 2004. The giant octopus Haliphron atlanticus (Mollusca : Octopoda) in New Zealand waters. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 31(1): 7-13.O'Shea, S. 2002. Haliphron atlanticus ? a giant gelatinous octopus. Biodiversity Update 5: 1. However, there are a number of questionable size records that would suggest E. dofleini is the largest of all octopus species by a considerable margin.Norman, M. 2000. Cephalopods: A World Guide. Hackenheim, ConchBooks, p. 214.

Octopus Links 

How smart is the octopus? - By Carl Zimmer - Slate Magazine
Aristotle didn't have a high opinion of the octopus. "The octopus is a stupid creature," he wrote, "for it will approach a man's hand if it be lowered in the water." Twenty-four centuries later, this "stupid" creature is enjoying a much better reputation.
NATURE. The Octopus Show | PBS
A creature of the ocean deep takes center stage when NATURE presents THE OCTOPUS SHOW.
Octopus - travel methods and great deal of other information.
Octopus.com - information on travel, anatomy, physiology, spicies of the great Mollusk - Genus Octopi.
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Giant Octopus Exhibit
Giant octopus photos, videos and activities related to the Giant Octopus exhibit in the Ocean's Edge galleries at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California.

You Weigh In! 

Voice your opinion on who would win here, THEN watch the video.

Who would win in a fight? Shark or Giant Octopus?

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Sharks have bigger teeth!

Riley trezise of Whales says:

He editordave, if the shark was Tiger or White shark no chance for little octopus

Riley trezise of Whales says:

THat vid is rong mates dogshark wins

Riley trezise says:

who dies first? I say the octopus does, if the shark bites it... OCTO IS DONE
THe shark is small but built to kill. from my knowlaedge of the dogsharks/fish
only way Octo could is if octo got the jagged suckers in the sharks gills but thats hard to do shark bite octo, and octo bleed to death.

a says:

THE Shark would win hands down

chase says:

the shark would win because it has been around more and that means it has more practice to kill things most octopus are afraid to predictors

Mountaindewslave says:

The shark would definitely win because it's much stronger. The tissue of the octopus is just so much weaker than the sharks. The only possibility would be for the tentacles of the octupus to manage to flip over the shark. This wouldn't happen because the shark is such a good swimmer.... definitely definitely shark.

Eimi says:

Ok, really, I would say shark...

farg says:

octopussy

Ian says:

This is such a stupid scenario. 1.A giant Octapus would most likely not attack a full grown shark, and i dont believe its tentacles are long or strong enough to wrap around the gurth of an adult Great White for that matter. 2. A giant Hammerhead would have a fair and equal advantage to the Octapus's camoflauge because of its ability to sense things with its head. 3. In an open aquarium, the octapus would be screwed. 4. The only way for the octapus would win is to get the shark upside down so it is in an unconscious state. The natgeo video is dumb because the shark is not hunting and its only 3 or 4 years old.

Adeanis says:

Octopus - smarter. Shark - brutal. Sharks have it all the way. For many sharks, the octopus is a common prey item, so for them it's lunch. The octopus would just be defending itself and trying to get away. What, like a little ink is going to stop a tiger shark. Here I come octowus.

worthprotectionsecurity says:

JAWS all the way! No matter what the video shows :)

I'll just have to find a bigger shark.

ElizabethJeanAllen says:

I don't know. I don't care! Get me out of the aquarium! I don't want to tangle with either one of them.

Octopus have all those arms!

lol says:

the octopus

simon says:

u are idiots that u believe that a noth pacific octopus cant kill a great white
i have seen it pk
belive the truth

zach says:

a octopus

Smith says:

The octopus is way stronger, smarter, bigger, and sneakier. Almost everyone underestimates the octopus. The octopus is as smart as a dog. Can sneak aboard ships, steal their crab and escape. Solve puzzles and mazes with ease. They can break through aquarium glass. They can waltz out of their tank, eat everything in the other tank and then return to his den, And they can KILL PEOPLE AND SHARKS EASY! Just open your eyes and see the truth!

(P.S. the shark is dimwitted and gets paralyzed if it gets flipped over!)

JASON BANNER says:

THE OCTOPUS BECAUSE IT HAS LONG TENACLES AND EIGHT LEGS WHICH MEANS THE SHARK IS AT A DISADVANTAGE. ALL THE OCTOPUS HAS TO DO IS GRASP AT THE SHARK AND TAKE ITS BREATH AWAY SO IT CANT BREATHE.

Darien says:

octopus probably

kk says:

giant octopus

Martin of Estonia says:

And octopus are the smartest non skeleton animal in world. The only smart shark i have seen is in a movie.

The_Goblins_Den says:

I'm gonna have to go with the octopus. I think the octopus will win because of it's intelligence and camouflage ability.

Zach says:

The Octopus because its species have KILLED A SHARK before!

Noadi says:

Sorry to tell you this Ian but that's a full grown shark in that video, dogfish aren't a very large species. Not sure why it's a stupid scenario when it actually happened, doesn't matter that the shark wasn't hunting because clearly the octopus was.

dannystaple says:

Both are intelligent, but the octopus clearly has the edge here. The octopus is capable of jetting around using its mantel, may be able to camouflage or adopt different skin textures to fool the shark. The octopus has eight limbs, and loss of one is annoying but not critical - some can be detached at will and will continue to do what they were doing before for a while. An octopus could hold on to the side of the shark with its tentacle and do nasty things to a sharks gills with its tentacles. Yes the sharks teeth are big, but the octopus's beak is going to hurt plenty, especially gnawing from the side when attached.

EditorDave says:

Well... being that I saw the video quite a while ago (and included it in my own Squidoo lens on Octopus and Sharks), I'd have to say that a Giant Octopus could successfully tangle with a small shark and have it for dinner. Now, if the shark was a Great White, it might be a different story.

 

The Battle 

Spiny Dogfish Shark VS Giant Pacific Octopus

Shark vs. Octopus

Think you know the outcome when its shark versus octopus? Think again! See All National Geographic Videos http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/?source=4001

Runtime: 166
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501 Comments:

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Further Reference 

Octopus and Shark Books

Cephalopods: A World Guide

Amazon Price: $65.65 (as of 11/25/2009) Buy Now

Sharks of the World (Princeton Field Guides)

Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 11/25/2009) Buy Now

The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/25/2009) Buy Now

The Encyclopedia of Sharks

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 11/25/2009) Buy Now

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