Why octopuses seem like creatures from another planet

Why octopuses seem like creatures from another planet

Hey! Remember when I wrote an article about why we humans can't domesticate every animal on Earth? Well, today let's explore another fascinating corner of the animal kingdom octopuses. If there were a competition for the most extraordinary animal on Earth, the octopus would almost certainly be one of the top contenders. Three hearts, blue blood, eight incredibly dexterous arms, the ability to change the color and texture of its skin in a fraction of a second, and an intelligence that rivals many vertebrates. Add to that the ability to use tools, solve complex puzzles, escape from sealed aquariums, and even alter how its own body functions in response to environmental changes, and it's easy to understand why octopuses are sometimes called the true aliens of the ocean. It's no surprise that these remarkable creatures have inspired some truly extraordinary theories. One of the most controversial was published in 2018 by a group of researchers in the journal Progress in biophysics and Molecular Biology. The authors suggested that some of the octopus's unique traits are so unusual that they could be explained by panspermia, the hypothetical idea that life, or at least its building blocks, may have arrived on Earth aboard comets or meteorites. Naturally, the hypothesis sparked heated debate. Most biologists remain highly skeptical, as there is no convincing evidence that octopuses have an extraterrestrial origin. Nevertheless, the paper highlights just how different these animals are from almost every other creature on our planet. Even without resorting to science fiction, octopus biology is so extraordinary that it sometimes feels as though an overly imaginative sci-fi writer dreamed it up. But the real mystery isn't where octopuses came from. What's far more fascinating is understanding how evolution managed to produce such an astonishing organism in the first place.

Three hearts and blue blood

Let's start with their physiology. An octopus has three hearts. Two of them pump blood through the gills, where it becomes oxygenated. The third pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the rest of the body. At first glance, this arrangement might seem excessive, but for an active marine predator, it's remarkably efficient. Their blood is just as unusual. Unlike humans, whose blood relies on iron-containing hemoglobin to transport oxygen, octopuses use hemocyanin, a copper-based protein. The presence of copper gives their blood its distinctive blue color. Hemocyanin performs especially well in cold, oxygen-poor water, making it perfectly suited for life in the ocean. However, it is less efficient at transporting oxygen than hemoglobin, which is one of the reasons octopuses require multiple hearts to keep their bodies functioning. As fascinating as these adaptations are, they pale in comparison to the octopus's nervous system.

The myth of nine brains

You've probably heard people say that octopuses have nine brains. Technically, that's not true, but it's not entirely false either. An octopus has only one true central brain. However, roughly two thirds of its neurons are located not in its head, but in its arms. Each arm contains a large cluster of nerve cells capable of processing information and making decisions independently. This creates an extraordinary system. When an octopus explores the seafloor, its central brain doesn't have to micromanage every movement. Instead, it simply sets an overall objective, for example, "find food." From there, each arm operates almost independently.

One probes cracks between rocks. Another explores the sand. A third analyzes the chemical composition of the surrounding water. A fourth is already searching for potential prey. Even more remarkably, each arm can literally "taste" its surroundings. Thousands of chemoreceptors inside the suckers allow the octopus to identify the chemical composition of objects simply by touching them. For an octopus, touching something is almost like feeling it with your hands and tasting it with your tongue at the same time. This distributed nervous system resembles a modern computer network. Rather than relying on one massive processor, the octopus uses multiple semi independent processing units, each handling its own tasks while communicating with the central brain. As a result, it can react to changes in its environment with astonishing speed. Scientists have even observed situations in which different arms appeared to "argue" with one another, each attempting to perform a different action simultaneously.

One of the smartest invertebrates on Earth

For many years, scientists believed that advanced intelligence was largely limited to vertebrates. Octopuses shattered that assumption. In laboratory experiments, they have demonstrated an impressive range of cognitive abilities. They can solve puzzles, remember the locations of objects, distinguish between different shapes, learn by observation, and quickly understand cause-and-effect relationships. If an octopus figures out how to open a complicated food container once, it usually performs the task much faster the next time. If a particular route consistently leads to a reward, it will continue using that path. If it encounters something dangerous, it can remember the threat for a remarkably long time. For an invertebrate, these abilities are extraordinary. Researchers often compare octopus intelligence to that of certain mammals. Of course, direct comparisons should be made cautiously, since octopus cognition evolved along a completely different evolutionary path. Nevertheless, the complexity of their behavior is undeniably impressive. Perhaps even more remarkable is their curiosity. Most animals interact with unfamiliar objects only when food or survival is involved. Octopuses are different. They frequently investigate completely useless objects simply because they seem interesting. An octopus may spend hours manipulating an unfamiliar item, rotating it, feeling it with its suckers, attempting to open it, or experimenting with different ways of interacting with it.

This kind of exploratory behavior is widely considered a hallmark of advanced intelligence.

The ultimate escape artists

Their intelligence has also earned octopuses a reputation as some of the greatest escape artists in the animal kingdom. Aquarium staff around the world regularly share stories that sound almost unbelievable. At night, after the lights go out and the building becomes quiet, some octopuses quietly lift the lids of their tanks, climb out, and begin exploring the aquarium. Their secret lies in the structure of their bodies.

An octopus can squeeze through astonishingly small openings. As long as its beak the only truly rigid part of its body can fit through a gap, the rest of the animal can usually follow. Using this incredible flexibility, some octopuses leave their own tanks, crawl across the floor, break into neighboring aquariums, feast on fish or crustaceans, and then calmly return home before morning. The next day, aquarium staff are left with a mystery. The fish are gone. There are no signs of forced entry.

And the prime suspect sits quietly inside its own tank, looking perfectly innocent.

Some octopuses have even learned to minimize the wet trails they leave behind, making their nighttime adventures even harder to detect. Over time, researchers realized these escapes were far from random. They require planning, spatial awareness, excellent memory, and problem solving skills. And that's only the beginning of the octopus's remarkable abilities. Some individuals don't merely solve problems or escape captivity they seem to enjoy outsmarting the creatures around them. That's why many scientists no longer describe octopuses as simply intelligent animals. Increasingly, they see them as master manipulators with one of the most sophisticated minds found anywhere in the invertebrate world.

The underwater manipulator

Intelligence isn't just about solving puzzles. Octopuses also employ hunting strategies that closely resemble psychological manipulation.Imagine a small shrimp peacefully exploring the seafloor. A typical predator would simply lunge at its prey. But an octopus often takes a far more sophisticated approach. Instead of attacking directly, it quietly extends one of its arms behind the shrimp and gently taps it from the opposite side. The shrimp reacts instantly. Its nervous system triggers an automatic escape response, causing it to leap away from the perceived threat. Unfortunately for the shrimp, that's exactly where the octopus is waiting.

In essence, the octopus turns its prey's own defensive instincts against it. It's an incredibly efficient hunting strategy that conserves energy while dramatically increasing the chances of a successful catch.

The ultimate master of camouflage

Almost everyone has seen photos of an octopus blending so perfectly into its surroundings that it's nearly impossible to spot. But changing color is only a small part of what these animals can do. An octopus's skin contains several types of specialized cells. Some control pigmentation, allowing it to rapidly change color. Others adjust brightness, while another set alters the texture of the skin itself, transforming its smooth body into something that resembles coral, rock, algae, or even rough seabed. As a result, an octopus doesn't simply match the color of its surroundings, it recreates their texture as well. Within seconds, a smooth gray animal can transform into what looks like a jagged rock covered in bumps.

Or it can flatten its body almost completely, disappearing against a sandy ocean floor. These abilities remain one of the most remarkable examples of biological camouflage anywhere in the animal kingdom.

The ocean's greatest impersonator

One species has taken camouflage even further: the mimic octopus. Unlike most octopuses, it doesn't just blend into the background. It impersonates other animals.

And it does so with such convincing accuracy that predators often mistake it for something genuinely dangerous. When large predatory fish approach, the mimic octopus may tuck six of its arms beneath its body while stretching the remaining two in opposite directions. It changes its coloration to bold black-and-white stripes and begins moving in smooth, undulating waves. Suddenly, it looks remarkably like a highly venomous sea snake. In other situations, it can flatten itself to resemble a flounder. Or imitate a lionfish, famous for its venomous spines.

It can even mimic a jellyfish. Essentially, the mimic octopus constantly evaluates its surroundings and selects the disguise most likely to intimidate a particular predator.

This remarkable strategy requires far more than physical flexibility. The animal must first identify the threat, determine which impersonation will be most effective, and then rapidly transform both its body shape and behavior to match its chosen model.

Unexpected alliances

For many years, scientists believed octopuses were strictly solitary animals.

More recent research has revealed a far more complex picture. Some species regularly cooperate with fish while hunting, including moray eels and various bottom dwelling reef fish. The partnership benefits everyone involved.

Fish can enter narrow crevices and flush hidden prey into the open, while the octopus blocks escape routes and captures animals attempting to flee.

As a result, both hunters enjoy a higher success rate than they would on their own.

At first glance, it seems like the perfect partnership. But this is where things become even more interesting.

Enforcing discipline

While observing these hunting teams, biologists noticed a surprising behavior.

If one of the fish becomes distracted, slows down, or tries to keep all the prey for itself, the octopus may suddenly lash out with one of its arms. Sometimes it's just a gentle shove. Other times it's a surprisingly forceful smack. What's particularly fascinating is that these strikes aren't always directly related to competition over food.

Instead, it often appears as though the octopus is forcing its partners to stay focused and work more efficiently. Some researchers have even suggested that this behavior helps maintain discipline within these temporary hunting alliances. Of course, it would be premature to claim that octopuses consciously manage or "lead" these groups in the way humans organize teams. Even so, observations like these continue to highlight just how remarkably complex octopus behavior really is.

Rewriting their own biology

Many scientists believe that the most extraordinary thing about octopuses isn't their intelligence, it's their ability to modify how their own bodies function. To understand why this is so remarkable, let's revisit some basic biology. In almost every animal, genetic information is stored in DNA. Whenever a cell needs to produce a specific protein, it first creates a temporary copy of the relevant section of DNA. This copy is called RNA. Normally, RNA serves as an almost exact blueprint that cells use to build proteins. In most animals, this process remains virtually unchanged. Octopuses, however, are different. They can alter specific sections of their RNA after it has already been produced. As a result, their cells begin manufacturing proteins that differ slightly from the original instructions encoded in their DNA. This process is known as RNA editing. It allows octopuses to rapidly fine tune the function of their nervous system in response to changing environmental conditions, such as a sudden drop in water temperature. It's important to understand what this doesn't mean.

Octopuses are not rewriting their entire genome or instantly evolving on demand. Contrary to some sensational claims you may find online, they cannot simply "change their DNA whenever they want." Even so, RNA editing remains an exceptionally unusual biological mechanism. While it exists in many organisms to some extent, cephalopods including octopuses use it far more extensively than most other animals. It is this unique combination of a highly flexible nervous system, remarkable intelligence, and sophisticated molecular biology that makes octopuses some of the most extraordinary organisms on Earth.

Why haven't octopuses taken over the world?

After learning about the octopus's intelligence, learning ability, incredible camouflage, and even its unusual molecular biology, an obvious question arises:

If these animals are so remarkable, why did humans become the dominant intelligent species on Earth? At first glance, octopuses seem to possess almost everything needed for evolutionary success. They learn quickly. They use tools. They adapt remarkably well to changing environments. They solve problems once thought to be within the exclusive domain of vertebrates. But nature rarely creates a perfect organism. Every evolutionary advantage comes with a trade off. And that trade off is precisely what has prevented octopuses from becoming the alternative intelligent civilization they sometimes seem capable of being.

Tool users of the ocean

One of the hallmarks of advanced intelligence is the ability to use objects as tools.

For decades, scientists believed this behavior was largely restricted to primates, certain birds, and a handful of marine mammals. Then researchers turned their attention to a small cephalopod known as the coconut octopus. Its behavior is astonishing. While exploring the seafloor, it collects discarded coconut shell halves, large empty seashells, and other hard objects. The truly remarkable part comes afterward. The octopus doesn't use these objects immediately. Instead, it carries them with it. Watching this is almost comical. The animal stacks two shell halves together, tucks them beneath its body, and literally walks across the seafloor while carrying its future shelter. It looks as though someone is hauling a heavy suitcase, fully aware they'll need it later. And that's exactly what happens. The moment danger appears, the octopus quickly assembles its portable shelter, slips inside, and seals the entrance with the second shell half. In seconds, it has transformed a pair of discarded objects into a portable armored bunker. What makes this behavior so significant isn't simply the use of an object as a shelter. It's the fact that the octopus transports something it doesn't need yet, anticipating that it may become useful in the future. That's no longer simple tool use. It's planning. And the ability to prepare in advance for a future event is considered one of the most sophisticated forms of cognition found in the animal kingdom.

Can an octopus be called intelligent or even conscious?

At this point, it's important to distinguish between intelligence and consciousness.

There is little doubt that octopuses possess remarkable cognitive abilities.

They can learn. They remember information. They recognize individual humans. They solve complex problems. They apply knowledge gained from previous experiences. Some researchers have even suggested that individual octopuses display distinct personalities. Some are exceptionally curious. Others are cautious. Some are bold and aggressive. Others are surprisingly shy. Yet despite these impressive traits, scientists remain cautious about attributing human-like consciousness or self awareness to them. Most researchers agree that octopus intelligence represents an entirely independent evolutionary path. And that's precisely what makes it so fascinating. The intelligence of primates evolved within highly social groups, where cooperation and communication played central roles.

Octopuses, by contrast, evolved sophisticated cognition while leading largely solitary lives. Their nervous system follows an entirely different blueprint. For neuroscientists, this makes octopuses invaluable research subjects.

By studying how they think, scientists hope to answer one of biology's biggest questions: How many different ways can evolution produce a truly intelligent mind?

The octopus's weakness

For all their extraordinary abilities, octopuses have one trait that severely limits their evolutionary potential: They simply don't live very long. Most species survive for only one or two years. Larger species may live three or four years, and even the giant Pacific octopus rarely reaches the age of five. For an animal with such a sophisticated nervous system, that's an incredibly short lifespan. Imagine if a human had to live their entire life from birth to death in just a couple of years. There simply wouldn't be enough time to accumulate much experience. But the real problem runs even deeper.

The tragedy of every generation

The octopus life cycle is both fascinating and heartbreaking. A female octopus reproduces only once in her lifetime. After laying her eggs, she enters an extended period of parental care. She stops hunting. She barely eats. She constantly cleans the eggs, removing debris and protecting them from infection. She tirelessly circulates fresh water over the clutch to ensure the developing embryos receive enough oxygen. This dedication can last for several months. By the time the eggs hatch, her body is completely exhausted. Shortly afterward, she dies. Males usually die even earlier, often soon after mating. As a result, every new generation enters the world completely alone. No parent teaches young octopuses where to find food. No one demonstrates effective hunting techniques. No one passes down years of hard-earned experience. Every octopus begins life from scratch.

Why does this matter so much?

Nearly all of human civilization is built upon the transmission of knowledge.

Each generation inherits the achievements of those who came before. We learn language. We learn mathematics. We build upon scientific discoveries made centuries ago. Engineers develop new technologies using the work of previous generations. Scientists continue research begun by other scientists. Without this continuous transfer of information, civilization simply could not exist. Octopuses have almost no equivalent system. Even if an individual learns an extraordinarily effective hunting strategy or develops an ingenious solution to a difficult problem, that knowledge disappears forever when the animal dies. The next generation starts over from the beginning. It's as if evolution presses a permanent reset button every single generation. This is why octopuses cannot accumulate culture or inherited knowledge the way humans, some birds, and certain primates can.

Nature's evolutionary experiment

Many biologists describe cephalopods as one of evolution's most remarkable experiments. It's almost as if nature asked a fascinating question: Can advanced intelligence evolve along an entirely different path? Without a backbone. Without a long childhood. Without complex social groups. Without parents passing knowledge to their offspring. The answer appears to be yes. Evolution produced an animal capable of solving complex problems, using tools, developing sophisticated hunting strategies, mastering camouflage, and rapidly adapting to its environment. But the experiment also came with a significant limitation. A short lifespan prevents that intelligence from reaching its full potential.

Were octopuses really aliens?

Returning to the idea of extraterrestrial origins, modern science offers a clear answer:

There is no credible evidence that octopuses came to Earth from space.

Their genome is unusual. Their nervous system is unlike that of any other animal. Their behavior is astonishing. But all of these traits can be explained within the framework of Earth's evolutionary history. Cephalopods evolved over hundreds of millions of years, gradually developing sophisticated sensory organs, complex nervous systems, and extraordinary learning abilities. Long term evolution not alien intervention provides by far the best explanation for what makes octopuses so unique. Still, one thing is undeniable. Among all invertebrates, octopuses occupy a category of their own. They are so unlike the animals we're accustomed to that they sometimes seem less like creatures from Earth's oceans and more like something imagined in a science fiction novel.

Octopuses are a powerful reminder that intelligence can evolve in many different ways. They aren't like humans. They aren't like apes. They're not even much like other mollusks. That's precisely why scientists find them so fascinating. Every new study reveals another example of how evolution can arrive at remarkably sophisticated solutions through entirely different biological pathways. Three hearts. Blue blood. A distributed nervous system. Semi autonomous arms. Tool use. Extraordinary camouflage. Advanced learning abilities. Extensive RNA editing.

Together, these traits make octopuses some of the most remarkable animals on Earth. And while they're unlikely to take over the world, as science communicators often jokingly suggest one thing is certain: It's hard to find another ocean creature that combines intelligence, behavioral flexibility, and biological innovation so successfully. Perhaps that's why octopuses continue to captivate scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. Every new discovery reveals another unexpected aspect of their behavior and reminds us that our own planet is still home to creatures every bit as astonishing as anything found in science fiction.

by @lev_me_vision