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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.
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