Octopuses Using Coconut Shells As Shelters

First known tool use by an invertebrate animal? Surely hermit crabs count.

Also, the plural of “octopus” is BOTH “octopuses” and “octopodes.” The former is much more common here in the U.S. (and possibly the U.K.?).

“Octopodes” is correct; “octopuses” is acceptable as an alternative.

@PJ

African or European?

Do the octopodes make horse galloping noises with the coconut shells to scare predators.

@Wellin- Only for french predators with outrageous accents

I agree with Natey, hermit crabs have been using our trash for shelter for a while now. Octopodesuseseses are much more interesting than hermit crabs though.

I agree with you guys, cephalopods rock! They really are amazing, problem-solving squish monsters.

They’re such smart, curious creatures but they only live for about a year on average. Imagine if they had even half our life span!

Goodness, have we already forgotten all of the previous examples of octopus intelligence? What strange and remarkable creatures. I almost regret that before my prom I had seafood stew with octopus.

Almost.

This isn’t surprising as Octupuses are capable of opening jars and expert escape artists.

There’s something fishy about this pina colada.

I always think of that (maybe apocryphal) tale of the guy with the pet octopus, who has a feeder fish tank on the other side of the room. He chastises his roommate for feeding the octopus too often, since the feeder fish are decreasing. “I’m not feeding the octopus!” his roommate protests. Finally, he stakes out the room and notices the wet sucker marks on floor. Octopus has been opening its tank, climbing down, squelching the ten feet to the other tank, opening that latch, taking a fish, going back to its own tank.

“They really are amazing, problem-solving squish monsters.” – Natey put it pefectly.

Watching that film is a trip. It’s funny seeing such an alien creature doing something almost human- sneaking around with his stealth shell, hiding in it, and looking to see if the coast is clear.

Yay! I love octopuses Wish we had the money for a salt water aquarium and find some place that sold the little bitty ones. Too bad they don’t live for very long though

I remember seeing a show on octopus on PBS that showed these wee little ones doing this in erm.. some area that I forgot. It was this big open area w/ nowhere to hide so they used whatever they could find. Some dragged along bottles and hid in them.

How is this different from hermit crabs and coconut crabs? Is the difference that an octopus is squishy and cuter than this http://blog.rifftrax.com/wp-content/photos/coconut_crab.jpg ? (Please note: coconut crabs have outgrown their coconut-wearing stage by the time they are that big)