What's the deal with the octopus poop noodle?

Waste not, want not

The anemone, it turns out, was snacking on the octopus waste. Our team captured the moment on video and shared it on social media. People wanted to know: why does this happen?

The giant Pacific octopus excretes waste through its siphon, a funnel-like hole on the side of its mantle. As a result, its poop comes out as a long, noodle-like strand.

The green anemone, meanwhile, is a detritivore, which means that it eats waste. Though it usually noshes on crabs, mussels, small fishes, and sea urchins, fecal matter is not an unusual meal for this animal.

How it happened

On this particular day, the octopus must have started to release its waste near the anemone.

Then, the anemone started consuming the waste.

As the octopus swam away, the two stayed connected through the string of fecal matter. And violà: an octopus poop noodle!

Though the scene may be surprising to us as humans, it is the result of natural processes. All animals need to get rid of their waste, and all living things need to eat. When those two natural processes occur at the same time and place, we get a surprise like this!