Octopus walks on "two legs"!

[mousepod]

Maybe it's just the confluence of animal-lover/nerd feeling within me, but this story on today's news has made me smile.

Octopuses walk on two 'arms' to get by predators (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7286853/)

By walking on only two arms, the other six arms can be used to transform their bodies into clumps of algae or rolling coconut shells that may not interest predators. Clumps of algae and coconut shells are commonly found in the shallow, coastal seawaters that these octopuses call home.

make sure to click on the "posing as algae" video :)

[blueerica]

Teehee!

That's a great story.

I didn't know they would do such a thing. How smart they are!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Teehee!

That's a great story.

I didn't know they would do such a thing. How smart they are!Actually, interestingly, the study is focusing on how smart they aren't. With no central nervous system, it's pretty much assumed at this point that it's some sort of automic response. One of the lines of thought is to study it and somehow incorporate it into robotic locomotion that requires a lot less central processing than current solutions.

[mousepod]

If you just want to see the videos, I grabbed them and posted them

here (http://www.ped-xing.com/aculeatus_walk.mov) and here (http://www.ped-xing.com/marginatus_walk1.mov)

[blueerica]

Actually, interestingly, the study is focusing on how smart they aren't. With no central nervous system, it's pretty much assumed at this point that it's some sort of automic response. One of the lines of thought is to study it and somehow incorporate it into robotic locomotion that requires a lot less central processing than current solutions.

True, but now you made me read more than skim the article.

I'm going back to bed.

You can keep your bagels. :p

[Scrooge McSam]

I remember watching a documentary years ago about how efficient they can be at learning. They put a crab in a screw top jar and gave it to one octopus with no experience with such a device. He worked with it and worked with it and never could get it open. Then they took another octopus who knew how to open screw top jars and put his tank next to the first one and gave the screw top jar to the experienced animal. The inexperienced animal watched with rapt attention as the experienced one deftly removed the screw top and devoured the crab. On the next try, the inexperienced octopus had a little bit of trouble with the screw top but got it off soon enough and got to enjoy his crab.

Fascinating. I wish they'd play that one again.

[Gn2Dlnd]

I wish I had a jar full of crab.

[DisneyDaniel]

Interesting story. Reading about that gives me the urge to have octopus sushi ("tako") for lunch! :evil:

http://files.photojerk.com/bulleckert/takosushi.jpg

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I heard about the same study Scrooge. Very cool.

Welccome Squid Overlords!

And Octupus Bi-Pedals.

[Not Afraid]

Somehoe, I've always love Octopi and squid. I stand in fron of their tanks for as long as possible waiting for them to move. Sometimes I'm lucky and I get to see their amazing movememt. Squishy, but cute.

[SacTown Chronic]

Somehoe
Classic NA typo!


"Ivanhoe is the story of a Russian farmer and his tool" ~ Bart Simpson

[Ghoulish Delight]

In a related story...bats that run! (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March05/Riskin.bats.snd.html)

[mousepod]

In a related story...bats the run! (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March05/Riskin.bats.snd.html)

What a great story!

[Not Afraid]

Very cool! I'd just love to have a vampire bat run by me one day. ........What the.......?