Octopuses Using Coconut Shells As Shelters

The plural of "octopus" is "octopodes."

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.?).

PHEAR TEH OCTO-POD!

"Octopodes" is correct; "octopuses" is acceptable as an alternative. :-)

So what is the underwater velocity of an unladen octopus?

@PJ

African or European?

Very interesting video. There is at least one report of similar tool use by an octopus back in 2007 -

http://radthoughts.com/2007/02/01/octopus-tool-use/

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

I did research on octopus behavior and intelligence, and I found this along the way, really interesting stuff! These suckers (pun) don't get enough credit for their curious mind.

@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.

Octopodes, octopuses...

THERE A FRIGGIN' OCTOPUS IN A COCONUT SHELL, PEOPLE!

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!

Lucy VanOctopode:

"The doctor is in"

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.

Lol! African or European :D. What is your favourite color?!

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

Are animals developing at an exponentially faster rate than was previously thought? Will the humble octopus join his animal brethren and attempt to overthrow humanity??

If they learn to use the internet, we're done for

There's something fishy about this pina colada.

I, for one, welcome our new octopus overlords.

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.

We've had some really good octopus stories here, like the one who loved his Mr. Potato head, the one that shot out the lights, and those that play with rubik's cubes.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/11/octopus-loves-his-mr-potato-head/

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/11/10/ottos-big-adventure/

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/07/08/octopuses-play-with-rubiks-cubes/

"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.

That octopus playing with a Mr. Potato Head is adorable!

Yay! I love octopuses :D 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 call shenanigans. I'm a diver and I've been observing and photographing this behavior for years, it's not rare at all.

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.

It seems to me that not only are the octopodes smart enough to use tools, but they are smart enough to develop the classic Freudian malady, Shell Envy. As a mollusc, at one point in their life history they had a shell, but it has receded into nothingness. Ashamed of their lack, they must make due with artificial substitutes.

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)