Kate Sprogis , Murdoch University and David Hocking , Monash University For wild predators, catching, killing and eating prey can sometimes be a risky business . We can see this on the African savannah, where a well-aimed kick from a zebra can spell trouble for a hungry lion. But the same can also be true in the ocean, where some prey types are far from helpless seafood. In particular, a large octopus can be a risky prey for predators to tackle. This is especially so for marine mammals, such as dolphins, which don’t have hands to help them keep control of this clingy, eight-armed prey. Our new research highlights the development of complex behaviours that allow dolphins to eat octopus, thereby improving their ability to survive and reproduce. It’s another example of a strategy that helps to drive the success of dolphins in coastal environments around Australia. Dangers of eating octopus In 2015 an adult male bottlenose dolphin was found dead on a beach in Bunbury, southw...