The title — grammatically —- hints at the idea that this is new behavior. (As opposed to newly-discovered behavior.) Why phrase it as “are building” instead of “build”?

Within the article, there is this quote that further hints at the click-baity idea that this is some new behavior: “ Researchers now suspect octopuses have been building group habitats for a long time.”

Would one say that squirrels have been hiding nuts for a “long time”?

Phrasing it this way, in my opinion, misleads the reader it I thinking this is some new behavior which has been going on for a “long time” — perhaps for several decades!

When, in reality, it’s probably normal octopus behavior thst had been occuring for as long as there have been octopuses.

I picture s 18th century naturalist breathlessly writing to the Royal Society: “you know the beavers we heard about? Well, you’re not going to believe this, but they are now building dams! And I think they’ve been up to this for quite some time! What will they come up with next?!”