Octopuses have long been characterised as sinister beings, from depictions in ancient art to ghastly cartoons used in wartime propaganda. Our mistrust of these animals might be attributed to their many-armed appearance, or perhaps their ability to change colours like a chameleon.

In Pacific Mythology: An Encyclopaedia of Myth and Legend, the octopus is even personified as a thief. "According to legend, a man named Kupe was fishing near his home on Raiatea when an octopus stole his fishhooks with its many arms. Enraged, Kupe jumped into his canoe and pursued the beast..."