Octavia had managed to steal the bucket right out from under us. That’s at least six pairs of eyes watching this octopus but when we go to get another fish out of the bucket to feed her, the bucket’s not there. There were three people petting her, and a couple of people standing around watching the interaction. Oh, my gosh, they are so smart! We have been outwitted many times, but one of the most dramatic outwittings was done by Octavia. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Īristotle famously wrote, “The octopus is a stupid creature.” You discovered the opposite, didn’t you? But you couldn’t resist petting Kali! (Read: Social Octopus Species Shatters Beliefs About Ocean Dwellers.)

That’s quite a feat for somebody who’s covered in slime and lives in very cold, 47 degree salt water.

She was very playful, very funny, had a great sense of humor, loved to explore, loved to engage people! She wasn’t wary at all and she was just a blast to be with! She managed to seduce us all. Kali was maybe nine months-old, or younger. It was a friendship that lasted… to the end of her life. But, when she finally did, we became very, very good friends. Talk about multi-tasking! She was very wary and not eager to reach out to us and touch us at first. Some of it may be instinctual but it’s not all instinctual. That involves millions of muscles and nerves and decisions. One of the things that she learned par excellence, was camouflage. If you’re living wild in the open ocean for a long time, you have a chance to learn a great deal. She was older than Kali, probably more mature than any of the octopuses that lived at New England Aquarium. Octopus Escape Each of the octopuses you write about seem to have had individual personalities-tell us a little about Octavia and how she was different from Kali. (Read: Octopuses are Playful, Curious, and Smart.) It’s possible to have an octopus care about you, to choose your company.

They’re so different from us, but what held my attention and totally mesmerized me was, that despite our differences, it’s possible to have a meeting of the minds with someone like this. Here is a baggy, boneless body that can pour itself into the tiniest spaces, has venom like a snake, ink like an old fashioned pen, a beak like a parrot, can taste with their skin, and can change color and shape. (Watch: Is This Picture-Taking Octopus as Smart as She Seems?) What is it about octopuses that intrigues you? Talking from her home in Hancock, New Hampshire, she explains how octopuses are good at multi-tasking why the missionary position doesn’t work for mating octopuses and why she believes all animals, including octopuses, have souls. But for Sy Montgomery, author of Soul Of An Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into The Wonder of Consciousness, octopuses are a source of endless fascination and wonder. For most of us, the idea of having our hands stroked by a rubbery arm covered in suckers is not that appealing.

The soul of an octopus