Octopuses Have More of Everything, Including Intellect

Octopuses are curious and intelligent cephalopods that are made up of over 300 known species.

From the dime-sized star-sucker pygmy octopus to the largest known specimen, the giant Pacific octopus, all of them exhibit intelligence in their own ways. They live in a vast array of habitats in the oceans, such as the crushing depths of the abyssal zone.

First appearing during the Middle Jurassic Period, octopuses are bilaterally symmetric cephalopods, meaning that they can be divided into two even halves. They have eight powerful arms, each of their own ganglia for the purposes of a decentralized nervous system. This allows for each arm to react independently.

Octopuses are boneless, with the only hard part being their beak, which is made of chitin. In order to eat, they grab their prey using their arms, and use their venomous saliva to paralyze them before moving the food towards their beaks. Shelled prey are drilled into using their salivary papilla.

While having many brains, octopuses also have three hearts. The two branchial hearts pump blood to the gills and the systemic heart pumps blood throughout the body. 

Octopus blood is blue due to having the copper-rich protein haemocyanin to carry oxygen throughout their body. This protein is better at transporting oxygen at lower temperatures and higher ocean pressure.

Scientific study has shown that octopuses are extremely intelligent. Octopuses are capable of camouflaging, being able to change the shape of their chromatophores and other cells. This allows them to change their color and texture to blend in with their environment.

Octopuses are also able to unscrew containers to reach food, and even unscrew themselves out of a container. They have also been observed possibly recognizing people, and may be able to dream due to observed changes in coloring while they sleep.

Tool use has been observed amongst octopuses, such as carrying and using coconut or shells as shelter. They have also been observed being able to use their tools for multiple purposes.

“Coming out of her den, and grabbing that shell to use it as a shield, it was such a beautiful example of really complex intelligence,” Dr. Alex Schnell said on Masterminds: Secrets of the Octopus. “It reshapes the way we think about the octopus mind and just what they are capable of.”