Georgina Jones shared this article on facebook (it has some uses other than for sharing cat pictures!), and it is a wonderful tour of the natural history of these beguiling, charismatic creatures. They seem to be disproportionately intelligent, able to learn, use tools, play, and even seem to plan ahead in their own way. Part of the octopus’s brain resides in its tentacles (which can be re-grown) – a severed tentacle has been seen to reach for food items and attempt to place them where the octopus’s mouth would be, were the tentacle still attached.
Read the full article here. It’s a fascinating read on the nature of intelligence, even if you aren’t specially intrigued by octopods.
I was reminded of this TED talk by David Gallo, where (at about the 2.00 minute mark) a beautiful octopus demonstrates his camouflage ability. The rest of the talk is also worth watching.
You can also watch David Gallo’s talk here.
