Both the crow and the octopus separated from mammals in evolution hundreds of millions of years ago and took very separate paths to building brains. A previous post showed the unique brain structures for the crow. New research shows the unique evolutionary path octopus traveled to great intelligence. Recent Octopus Genetic Information Alters Theory of the Evolution of Intelligence They have large unique brains and closed blood circulation with three hearts. Their eyes are like a camera with a lens, iris and retina. Two of their relatives-squid and cuttlefish-are, also, unusually intelligent. The octopus has very unusual abilities that make it unique among intelligent animals, such as camouflage and control and regeneration of eight flexible arms, each with thousands of suckers. Their brain uses the same circuits for social learning and for other memory.
They learn by watching others, do tricks with visual discrimination and they remember exactly for weeks. Octopuses are extremely and rapidly adaptive. When experimental probes are done in the nervous system, they rapidly recover and regenerate missing tissue. Octopuses respond rapidly to rewards and are extremely curious and responsive. The change is from a fearful animal to almost pet like-friendly and very alert about all that is occurring nearby. Octopuses adapt to being captured in several days, unlike many other animals. They learn and can solve complex problems like crows. Octopuses manipulate objects as well as the human hand and can escape from almost anything.
They have advanced spatial learning, navigational abilities and use creative predatory techniques. This is important for protection since they don’t have teeth or claws. They can change their appearance with camouflage, so they can hide in plain sight near a wide variety of plants and corral, as well as mimicking other creatures. With two shells, they see through a small opening slit between the two halves. They pick up coconut shell halves, carry them along and if threatened, flip them over their head to conceal themselves. Before their discovery of coconuts, they used shells. They spread cultural information, mimic others and communicate using colors, patterns and flashing. Octopuses are masters of getting through mazes and can solve advanced problems. Both brains have different building blocks and molecular signaling cascades but similar hierarchical structure to analyze data. It shows a unique genetic expansion of genes that, somewhat differently, built the human brain. This post will describe recent research about their unique brain and its similarities and differences from humans. The fact that such an intelligent creature has no bones or spine has upended theories of animal intelligence. Recent research is beginning to describe their very unusual talents, behavior and brain, as well as their unique genetic makeup. Octopus ancestors are, perhaps, the first intelligent beings on Earth. The octopus has advanced intelligence despite 500 million years of separate evolution from mammals, birds, insects and reptiles.
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