Surely you've ever wondered what the smartest animal that exists or if dogs or cats are smarter . Among mammals, orangutans, dolphins, elephants, pigs and squirrels seem to have an advantage, and in the world of invertebrates there seems to be an animal that stands out above the others. Join us to meet the Coco octopus The one that scientists say is the most intelligent of invertebrates. Amazing!
Octopuses, in general, are considered one of the most intelligent animals we can find in seas and oceans. Its tentacles act as arms and through them investigate, feel, recognize textures and even identify and remember. In addition to the help of his tentacular appendages, the secret of his intelligence lies in the complexity of his brain that enables him to learn in very diverse circumstances. You just have to go to YouTube to see these marine animals solve complicated mazes and tests. Among the octopuses, coconut octopus He seems to be the one with the most ingenuity.
Octopus Coco, the most intelligent of the invertebrates
The scientific name of octopus coconut is Amphioctopus marginatus , although it is also known as "octopus veined". It is a cephalopod considered medium size since its body measures around 8 cm. and its tentacles 15 cm. Its main food are clams, shrimps or crabs. Live in the tropical waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, preferably in areas with sandy bottoms such as bays and marine lagoons. In these places do not usually live other octopuses since the substrate is usually smooth and there are no possible hiding places which makes them easy prey for other predators. However the coconut octopus He does live in those places and that is due to his wit and intelligence.
THE coconut octopus it has behaviors that other invertebrates do not possess and for that reason it is considered the most intelligent of this group to which 95% of the animals belong. He is able to use tools, transport a shelter to be able to use them if he needs it, and also walk underwater in a surprisingly similar way as humans do. You can see it in this amazing video.
The name of coconut octopus it may be due to two of his abilities. The first is bipedal locomotion. When he walks on two of his tentacles, scientists believe he is trying to imitate a floating coconut shell. This fact is not strange if one takes into account that there is a type of octopus known as "mummy octopus" that is capable of imitating more than 15 different marine animals from its environment. The second is because it uses the coconuts as a refuge and even transports them to travel distances where there is nowhere to hide.
Scientists have observed on several occasions, in the sandy seabed of Bali and Sulawesi, in Indonesia, where the halves of coconuts thrown by humans abound, the curious behavior of this cephalopod. When it detects a coconut buried in the sand, it approaches and rotates it clean it to be free of mud. Then they use it as a refuge. If they have only one half, they move it between their legs and when they go through a discovery, they cover themselves with it so as not to be attacked. There are footage in which you see a coconut octopus move one half of the shell for more than 20 meters. If by chance they get two pieces of coconut shell they are placed in a way that looks like a whole coconut and they take refuge inside it as if it were a clam shell.
Normally, the Amphioctopus marginatus use bivalve shells as a refuge, but in the case of Indonesian waters, the abundance of coconut shells has led it to prefer them as a refuge before the usual shells. Other octopi also use remains of shells or human waste as a refuge, but it is considered that the behavior of the coconut octopus It demonstrates a superior intelligence since it "collects, transports and assembles" the material that will serve as a refuge, which denotes a great complexity. The case of the Amphioctopus marginatus is considered the first documented case of an invertebrate that uses a tool.
The things that a coconut octopus They are amazing and have something disturbing, especially when you see him walking "on two legs". Did you know coconut octopus ? Did you know that I was able to use tools in this way? Perhaps this article has made you think of a media octopus that became famous during the World Cup in South Africa, the "Pulpo Pol". Surprisingly, he hit on many of his predictions becoming a worldwide phenomenon that still poses many unknowns. If you have been interested in this article, you may want to know more about these intelligent animals by reading:
- The enigma of the female octopus | They self-destruct when they lay their eggs
- The poisonous octopus with blue rings
- Biologists find an amazing underwater city of octopi
Images: Nick Hobgood , Silke Baron