Octopuses Play with Rubik’s Cubes

By Miss Cellania in Animals & Pets on Jul 8, 2008 at 3:53 pm

A couple of dozen octopuses at aquariums around Europe have been given Rubik’s cubes to play with. It’s not to find out of they can solve them (although it would be SO cool if they did), but to see if the animals favor one arm (or two) over the others. Visitors will be asked to observe which arm they use when playing with the puzzles. The results will be used for research, but also to make the octopuses’ lives easier and more enriched. Link -via Boing Boing

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bean
Jul 8th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Dude, octopi.
Miss Cellania
Jul 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I can’t win. The last post I used a plural for octopus, I was raked over the coals for using octopi.
alison
Jul 8th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
No, you’re right, it’s octopuses
HollywoodBob
Jul 8th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
You know, if someone were to take the time to solve a cube with the brilliant pseudopods watching, they’d probably be able to solve them after being shown how a few times.

That’s how they learned to open bottles.
DOJ
Jul 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
start em off with a 2×2 rubik’s cube to teach them the concept
and i think HollywoodBob meant cephalopods
Blaze
Jul 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
so they are asking the patrons to do their own research? huh?
Evilbeagle
Jul 8th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I think HollywoodBob is right on this one. They probably would figure it out. Even if they didn’t, watching them play with a Rubik’s cube would keep me entertained for hours. It’s the little things…
Peeves
Jul 8th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Except the learning thing wouldn’t even work on humans.
sigh
Jul 8th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
What would the world be without “enriched” octopi … or octopuses.
But the question is: if an infinite number of octopi-puses typed on an infinite number of typewrites, would they write the entire works of Shakespeare in a quarter of the infinte time as the monkeys … or monkuses?
ted
Jul 8th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I think the plural is Octopussies.
HollywoodBob
Jul 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Yeah, cephalopods, that’s the ticket.
Claire
Jul 8th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
When I was at the Toronto Zoo I noticed plastic lego toys (about two inches by two inches) flClaireoating in the octopus tank. I laughed and pointed them out to my Mum. Now it all makes sense.
TP
Jul 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Confirmed, it´s Octopussies. =D
Ajan
Jul 10th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Once the cephalopods know how to use the cube they would test it on humans.. and my head won;t be in the right place after that!!

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