Octopi, up to usual tricks

[helen99]

I'm telling you, they do it on purpose. Who needs opposable thumbs when you have opposable tentacles?

http://community.livejournal.com/wtf_nature/399989.html

Comments

[rebelfilms.livejournal.com]

!!!!!:D

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Hopefully it was an accident and she wasn't trying to commit suicide. Being put in a tank with fluorescent lighting and retarded hermit crabs for the purpose of having schoolchildren gawk at me every day might be enough to prompt such a decision...

[rebelfilms.livejournal.com]

definitly!

[rangermorgiah.livejournal.com]

Man they are so freaky and cool!

[helen99.livejournal.com]

They are. I can't remember if I've ever seen a live one at the aquarium or not. I'd like to.

[actingbunny.livejournal.com]

sometimes i think the silly scientist are not taking into account how terribly intelligent and exploitative they are.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Heh. Most scientists think 'scientist' is the only intelligent species on the planet...

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

This is awesome. It just goes to show that there is truly no "species hierarchy" when it comes to intelligence.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

They are very intelligent. It's possible the water piping and filters were making a lot of noise and she wanted to make it stop. Unfortunately, it seems as if she wasn't able to figure out that what she did would empty her tank and eventually kill her. Unless that's what she meant to do.

Another octopus I heard about recently liked to turn off its fluorescent lighting, which was probably bothering it.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

Or just wanted to see what would happen. Sounds like this one not only has a personality, but a sense of humor. After all, it did lazily watch people through the porthole, scrambling madly to clean up the mess. You have to wonder if it was snickering in it's own way...

This, "The incident was reminiscent of a 1994 incident at San Pedro's Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in which an octopus named Octavia pulled a plastic pipe loose", is the one who died, though there is the possibility that it was suicide rather than accident.

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I would love to know the manner in which the more intelligent underwater creatures think. If one's physical structure and environment define how one thinks, how odd the thoughts of an octopus must be...

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

Clever clever octopi... :)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

Yep! :)

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

I must repost this to molluscious now. Thanks!

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure if molluscious specialized in cooking mollusks or communing with them (until I checked). Joins (thanks)!

[christinemis.livejournal.com]

Well, if it were a dog, I would say it was bored, and needed to be kept busy with activities.

(I am so glad Chan turns into a lazy rug indoors as long as he gets his exercise.)

[helen99.livejournal.com]

You probably pinpointed the problem right there. I laughed when I read this though, because I was picturing an active, healthy intelligent dog with eight prehensile appendages. I'm not sure there would be too many people up to the challenge...

[iliandriel.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking you are correct. I think people think cause its an octopus it does not think.lol

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I think they like to play with toys. If they're going to be kept in a tank at all, they should have plenty of toys and puzzles to play with, and things to take apart and fiddle with. They give toys to birds, and I'm sure an octopus is at least as smart as a bird.

[iliandriel.livejournal.com]

They are an intelligent creature and as such get bored. Those tanks are only so big. When they are in the ocean they can go where they will. They can't do much where they keep them.