WATCH: Camouflaging Octopus Saves Itself From Shark

Ever thought an octopus can pretend to be a pile of vibrant, colorful shells under the sea? Well, this witty female octopus did just that to save its life from sharks.

The video, which is supposed to be aired on BBC’s program ‘Blue Planet’ on Sunday evening, shows the female octopus camouflaging itself and playing hide-and-seek with predators to be safe. It hides itself from a shark by pretending to be a stack of sea shells. It covers itself under the shells before the hungry foe comes closer.

Camouflaging seems to be this soft-bodied cephalopod’s primary means of defense to stay alive. And fortunately this eight-legged creature could confuse the shark by hiding beneath the shells. The clever octopus eventually made a quick escape, leaving behind the puzzled shark crunching on shells.

In one of the breathtaking moments, the shark clouts its tail on the octopus, turns around, and again begins to move around her. The camera then zooms in on the octopus eyes, which move around in a tense manner as the predator swims closer.

The narrator of the program, Sir David Attenborough, described the trickery of the octopus as “truly extraordinary,” according to the Daily Mail.

Attenborough, whose team is the first one to catch the unusual act of a sea creature, said, “When caught out in the open and vulnerable, this octopus does something truly extraordinary and never recorded before. She disguises herself with a protective armor of shells. She is hiding in plain sight.”

He added, “The shark could sense its prey, but the shells confused it. … In a forest full of hungry mouths, superior wits allow this octopus to stay alive.”