Octopus Brains Are So Much Cooler Than You Think

[Judi Lynn]

Octopus Brains Are So Much Cooler Than You Think
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Man, they are smart.

—By Tim McDonnell [/font]

| Fri Apr. 8, 2016 6:00 AM EDT


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A flying blue-ringed octopus YUSRAN ABDUL RAHMAN/Shutterstock[/font]

Let's clear up one thing right off the bat: "Octopuses" is a perfectly acceptable plural of "octopus"—and it makes a heck of a lot more sense than "octopi." That's because the word derives from Greek (oktopous, meaning "eight feet&quot , not Latin.

This week's episode of the Inquiring Minds podcast is all about octopuses, specifically how these amazing cephalopods—the group of marine invertebrates that also includes squid and cuttlefish—are vastly more intelligent than they get credit for. That's right: Octopuses lead a life of the mind. Not that they have a brain like you're probably picturing, exactly.

"Their brain is so unlike ours, it's almost difficult to describe it as a brain," explains Sy Montgomery, a naturalist and author whose most recent book, The Soul of an Octopus, is a fascinating dive into cephalopod psychology. "Ours is like a walnut in a shell; their brain wraps around the throat." Montgomery was interviewed by Inquiring Minds co-host Indre Viskontas; you can listen to the entire conversation below:

(Audio at link)

In fact, most of an octopus's neurons aren't even in the brain, but instead reside in the tentacles. As a result, each tentacle can not only continue to function if it gets disconnected from the body, but it actually has something akin to a personality: Some limbs are daring, others more shy. Montgomery goes on to detail other amazing aspects of the octopus psyche, including recognizing human faces, forming positive or negative judgments of individual humans, navigating complex mazes, and opening child-proof bottle caps. It's all the more impressive when you consider that unlike social, long-lived humans who can pick up cognitive skills from parents and peers, octopuses live asocial, short lives.

More:
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/04/octopuses-intelligence-sy-montgomery-inquiring-minds

[phazed0]

1. Fascinating creatures. Thanks for sharing! Boorkmarked. nt

[AlbertCat]

2. They had one at the National Zoo

When I visited my friends in DC I used to go visit the octopus. She was one of my favorite creatures. I have no idea what species. She would look right at you thru the glass of the aquarium. And at feeding time she would get all excited and waves of red would ripple across her. Her tentacles would reach out of the tank and over the sides while she delicately plucked pieces of shrimp off of skewers the keeper presented. The keeper said one morning she came in and the octopus was half red, half white, right down the middle.

So cool.

[Cassiopeia]

3. The video of the Mimic octopus is AWESOME.

I welcome our future octopus overlords with open arms.

[Scootaloo]

4. "Octopuses" is the acceptable ENGLISH plural

But the linguistically-appropriate plural would be "octopodes"

I know that someone out there cares.

[backscatter712]

5. Their relatives, cuttlefish are also amazing.

They also have advanced brains, and are very intelligent. They also have incredibly good vision. And their skin is for all intents and purposes, a high-resolution display device. They can put colors and patterns on their skin at will to camouflage themselves into their surroundings. They even do this sort of psychedelic flashing display on their skins to mesmerize prey to catch them.

[SeattleVet]

6. Amazing creatures...but they do NOT have 'tentacles'.

They have arms (or possibly legs - some specialists are looking at them having 4 arms and 4 legs based on the typical usage).

Tentacles are a specialized structure, with specific functions. For example, squid have 2 tentacles, in addition to they normal complement of arms.

As a volunteer at the local aquarium, I even get to feed the Giant Pacific Octopuses...they are amazing creatures!

[cantbeserious]

7. Thank You For Sharing

eom

[SoapBox]

8. Wow...

And here I just thought that they were a...blob.

[Bucky]

9. Their arms make for a great salad garnish too

[rusty quoin]

10. I find this fascinating.

I wish we would all finally spend all of our time learning about the world in which we live rather than destroying it.