Have you ever seen an octopus riding a dolphin? Well you have now. Photographer Bill Coulson caught this rare moment between an elusive species of dolphin and an unsuspecting octopus off the coast of Wales.
At first sight, this octopus seems like it's hitching a ride as it clings to the dolphin’s large dorsal fin and hangs on. However, this image is not as cute as it may seem. The elusive Risso’s dolphin (grampus griseus) is actually attempting to prey on the octopus.
This image brings together two important fields of ongoing marine research; the increase of the common octopus around the UK and recent studies by the University of Exeter into the Risso’s dolphin.
2026 has seen an unexpected ‘octopus bloom’ off the Southwest coast with sightings of the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) surging. This is linked to changing environmental conditions and rising sea temperatures.
Easterly winds may also be a factor in the increase of the common octopus as they may be helping to move young larvae from the Channel Islands and France. This is good news for the Risso’s dolphin whose diet consists of octopus, squid and cuttlefish.
Risso’s dolphins, also known as gray dolphins, are stocky, large cetaceans that thrive in deep, tropical waters. They can be recognised through their blunt heads that don’t have a beak. These animals start out grey or brown in colour but as they age, they lose their colour becoming white. This is largely formed of battle scars from preying on squids and fighting other dolphins.
Photographer Bill Coulson captured this image off Berry Head, Devon, where the Risso’s dolphin is becoming a slightly more common sight. These mammals are most often found in tropical zones of the world’s oceans. However recent studies by marine biologist Josh Symes at Exeter University explain why the number of dolphins spotted in the last year have reportedly doubled.
Symes runs The Risso’s Dolphin Photo ID project where he uses pictures and sightings to track these mammals. Their increase is almost certainly linked to the large amount of their preferred food in UK waters.
“They’re coming inshore to feed on inshore spawning cuttlefish and then obviously now there’s lots of octopus around, it gives them even more reason to stick around”, Symes told the BBC.
This increase may also be linked to a higher awareness of the Risso’s dolphin with Symes stating, ‘Sightings are increasing anyway so this might be because more people know how to look for them but also their food is increasing’.
