A sticky-fingered octopus has turned the tables on a videographer at a Vermont research lab who was trying to record him, snatching his camera and snapping a few photos of his own. Benjamin Savard, a digital media producer at Middlebury College, was testing out a GoPro camera in the octopus tank Monday when the mischievous sea creature took matters into his own tentacles. After the impromptu photo session, the California two-spot octopus tried to take a bite out of the pricey camera submerged in his tank, but eventually lost interest. Say, 'Cheese'! Benjamin Savard (bottom), a digital media producer at Middlebury College in Vermont, was testing out a GoPro camera in the octopus tank when the mischievous creature grabbed the device . Camera shy: The octopus reached a tentacle and grabbed hold of the camera in its waterproof casing . Photographer turns subject: The cephalopod swung the GoPro device around and trained it on Savard and a female researcher . Experiment: Savard (left and right) was hoping to make a sequence of images to accompany research work on the behavior of the California two-spot octopus - a species known for its intelligence and friendly demeanor . In focus: After a few blurry attempts, the octopus got this crystal-clear shot of the filmmaker . Neuroscience students at Middlebury College have been studying whether the octopus species, known for their intelligence and friendly disposition, can open boxes containing food more quickly by observing their eight-legged peers. Savard placed the GoPro camera in a waterproof casing and set it to automatically take rapid-fire photos per second before placing it inside the octopus tank, reported the Washington Post. The filmmaker was hoping to make a sequence of images to accompany the students' research work on cephalopod behavior. Most octopuses in the reservoir ignored the device, but one feisty specimen took hold of the camera and trained it on Savard, snapping a couple of good-quality pictures showing the bespectacled producer dressed in a white lab coat. Savard shared the snapshots on Reddit, where they became a huge hit with users. Some wary redditors have accused Savard of staging the photo shoot, but the filmmaker assured them that it was not a stunt. As proof, he posted the entire series of photos featuring the moment the critter reaches a tentacle to grab the camera, turns it around and trains it on Savard and a female researcher standing behind him. Savard later compiled the photo sequence into a gif. ‘I was just trying to brainstorm different ideas of how to show off the kind of unique research that’s going on here and in ways that would be engaging,’ Savard explained on Reddit. ‘I think the octopus’s timing was great. I was just in the right place at the right time.’ Snack attack: After the impromptu photo shoot, the sassy octopus tried to take a bite out of the pricey camera submerged in his tank . Viral: Savard, pictured left and right with First Lady Michelle Obama, shared the snapshots on Reddit, where they became a huge hit with users .
Benjamin Savard, a digital media producer at Middlebury College in Vermont, was testing out a GoPro camera in the octopus tank . California two-spot octopus grabbed the device and turned it on filmmaker, producing a series of pictures . Students at Middlebury College have been studying whether the octopus species can open boxes more quickly by observing their peers .