Octopuses Are Smart, Arguably Delicious
This is a video of a crazy-ass veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) running around carrying a coconut shell so it can climb into it whenever it feels like playing hide and seek with Spongebob and the rest of the gang.
The octopuses eventually use the shells as a protective shelter. If they just have one half, they simply turn it over and hide underneath. But if they are lucky enough to have retrieved two halves, they assemble them back into the original closed coconut form and sneak inside.
Tool use was once thought to be an exclusively human skill, but this behaviour has now been observed in a growing list of primates, mammals and birds.The researchers say their study suggests that these coconut-grabbing octopuses should now be added to these ranks.
ZOMG -- could you imagine snorkling around at the beach when an octopus comes up and grabs your coconuts?! My God I bet all those arms feel good.
Octopus snatches coconut and runs [bbcnews]
and
Coconut-carrying octopus [museumvictoria]
Thanks to Turbo the Mechanical Ape and Crimsonfox, who
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