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A Bald Eagle recently had a lucky escape on Vancouver Island, Canada, when boaters found the hapless raptor in the sea, entwined in the grip of a large octopus.

The witnesses managed to catch the eagle, with octopus still attached, thanks to the help of a grappling hook. It is reported that the octopus was relatively good natured, and gave up its catch without much of a fight. On release, the somewhat bewildered eagle made its way to shore and sat recovering for some time. The octopus, presumably a little irritated having had to relinquish its lunch, hung around near the surface for a while before sinking back into the depths.

Quite how the eagle came to be the victim of the sizeable mollusc remains unclear, but had it not been for the party intervening, there seems little doubt that it would have become the octopus's next meal.

Attacks by octopuses on birds are unusual, although some way off being unprecedented. This is presumably because the two creatures rarely cross paths, although opportunistic octopuses have previously been recorded preying on gulls and other marine bird species.