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And now they're using TOOLS!
Aug. 3rd, 2010 12:07 amI've always adored octopi. It might be my inner Cthulhu worshiper expressing himself, but I've always found these creatures absolutely fascinating. One of the qualities I really admire about them is their intelligence, which surpasses that of many vertebrates, let alone other members of their invertebrate brethren.
Just to give you an idea of how smart our little eight legged friends are, I present to you the following account of a film documented experiment (with some gratuitous personification added in for flavour). Two octopi are in adjoining aquariums, separated by an opaque divider. A crab in a screw-on lid jar is thrown into each tank.
Octopus 1: Yay, a crab snack! Hey, wait! What's with this hard bubble? I can't get at the crab, dammit! Can't break it, can't bite through it, ARGH!
Octupus 2: Yay, a crab snack! WTF? It's stuck in a hard bubble. That's weird! Hey, if I twist this bit that looks kinda like a sand dollar (the lid), it gets a little loose. If I keep twisting it... YES! Sweet crabbity-goodness is MINE!
The opaque divider is removed and another round of crabs in jars are tossed in.
Octopus 1: Yay, cra... Aw, damn. It looks like it's in one of those hard bubbles again. Stupid air breathers are probably having a laugh. I'm not gonna even go near the thing: no point. Wait, what's Joe doing with his?
Octopus 2 (Joe): Woohoo! More crabbity goodness! Just twist and OM NOM NOM! *bliss*
Octopus 1: Damn, why didn't I think of that? Okay, grab the bit that looks like a sand dollar, twist it around and, YES, the damn crab is MINE. Thanks, Joe! And I bet those silly air breathers thought I wasn't capable of observational learning. Shows them, don't it!
So yeah, they're smart, really smart.
Still, I was quite surprised, when following a link found in the article presented in![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
wtf_nature , to find evidence that THEY ARE USING TOOLS!
Yes, according to this article, some of the little guys are selecting and carrying around coconut shells to construct a handy armoured shelter to sleep in. That puts 'em into a category of intelligence normally reserved for mammals and birds, and at the higher end of the spectrum at that!
Imagine what they could accomplish if they had a lifespan that lasted more than a few years at most...
Just to give you an idea of how smart our little eight legged friends are, I present to you the following account of a film documented experiment (with some gratuitous personification added in for flavour). Two octopi are in adjoining aquariums, separated by an opaque divider. A crab in a screw-on lid jar is thrown into each tank.
Octopus 1: Yay, a crab snack! Hey, wait! What's with this hard bubble? I can't get at the crab, dammit! Can't break it, can't bite through it, ARGH!
Octupus 2: Yay, a crab snack! WTF? It's stuck in a hard bubble. That's weird! Hey, if I twist this bit that looks kinda like a sand dollar (the lid), it gets a little loose. If I keep twisting it... YES! Sweet crabbity-goodness is MINE!
The opaque divider is removed and another round of crabs in jars are tossed in.
Octopus 1: Yay, cra... Aw, damn. It looks like it's in one of those hard bubbles again. Stupid air breathers are probably having a laugh. I'm not gonna even go near the thing: no point. Wait, what's Joe doing with his?
Octopus 2 (Joe): Woohoo! More crabbity goodness! Just twist and OM NOM NOM! *bliss*
Octopus 1: Damn, why didn't I think of that? Okay, grab the bit that looks like a sand dollar, twist it around and, YES, the damn crab is MINE. Thanks, Joe! And I bet those silly air breathers thought I wasn't capable of observational learning. Shows them, don't it!
So yeah, they're smart, really smart.
Still, I was quite surprised, when following a link found in the article presented in
wtf_nature , to find evidence that THEY ARE USING TOOLS!Yes, according to this article, some of the little guys are selecting and carrying around coconut shells to construct a handy armoured shelter to sleep in. That puts 'em into a category of intelligence normally reserved for mammals and birds, and at the higher end of the spectrum at that!
Imagine what they could accomplish if they had a lifespan that lasted more than a few years at most...
