Spike Milligan scripted the use of a pair of coconut shells in many of the Goon Shows to simulate the sound of horses' hooves but some octopuses have an even better idea:

Tool Use Found in Octopuses

* By Brandon Keim | December 14, 2009

After years of surprising scientists with their cleverness and smarts, some octopuses appear to also use tools.

Veined octopuses observed off the coast of Indonesia carried coconut shell halves under their bodies, and assembled them as necessary into shelters — something that wasn’t supposed to be possible in their corner of the animal kingdom.

“To date, invertebrates have generally been regarded as lacking the cognitive abilities to engage in such sophisticated behaviors,” wrote Museum Victoria biologists who described the octopuses in a paper published Monday in Current Biology. “The discovery of this octopus tiptoeing across the sea floor with its prized coconut shells suggests that even marine invertebrates engage in behaviors that we once thought the preserve of humans.”

In captivity, some species of octopuses have solved mazes, remembered cues and passed other cognitive tests typically associated with advanced vertebrates. More anecdotally, they’re known for popping aquarium hoods, raiding other tanks and demonstrating what might be called mischief.

All this has come as a bit of a surprise to scientists. After all, octopuses are descended from mollusks. They’re more closely related to clams than to people. They’re not supposed to be smart. But it’s hard to argue with the evidence, and in recent years, researchers have grappled with the possibility that octopuses can even use tools.

That debate has focused on octopuses seen barricading their den openings with stones. In the end, that behavior wasn’t accepted as genuine tool use, because it seemed more instinctive than calculated. (Another contested invertebrate behavior is the use of shells as homes by hermit crabs. According to the conventional wisdom, tools require direct manipulation, so the shells are no more tools than are human houses.)

Such definitions are inevitably ambiguous. But there’s no ambiguity in the veined octopuses found flushing mud from buried coconut shells, stacking them for transport — an awkward process that required the octopuses to walk on tiptoe with the upturned shells clutched beneath them — and finally turning them into hard-shelled tents.

“The fact that the shell is carried for future use rather than as part of a specific task differentiates this behavior from other examples of object manipulation by octopuses,” wrote the researchers.

With their tents, the veined octopus has joined chimpanzees, monkeys, dolphins and crows in the ever-expanding menagerie of non-human tool users. But as significant as the finding may be, the moment of discovery wasn’t exactly solemn.

“I could tell that the octopus, busy manipulating coconut shells, was up to something, but I never expected it would pick up the stacked shells and run away. It was an extremely comical sight,” said Julia Finn, a Museum Victoria biologist, in a press release. “I have never laughed so hard underwater.”

???....does hiding behind something qualify as "tool use"?......

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I think its a stretch as well, it is cool, but hermit crab much?

What is more 'tool using' is carrying them around for use as a shelter later. And too, they modify them by blowing the mud out of them.

Here's another example:



This little octopus (that's a 1" shell) is in the process of taking shelter in his two-piece scallop-shell. Before being alarmed by the photographer, he was seen walking on the ocean floor, like the coconut-shell fellows, carrying his shell halves. He grasped one under his body, and one on top. To use his shelter effectively, he has to keep the two pieces oriented correctly, so they fit together tightly.
(source: Octopus Tool Use? RAD Thoughts)

This example suggests to me that possibly the larger octopeds, who hide in coconut shells, are taking advantage of a new material to continue behavior they used as juvenials, but in the past had to abandon as they got too big for easily-found shells. Humans discarding split coconut shells in the lagoon created a new opportunity.

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Another wild thing about octopeds is the ability of some species to do very rapid color changes, as shown here:


I've seen video that shows octopeds doing continuous rapid changes, creating a stunning (literally, in the case of prey) animated stripes effect. They also communicate feelings and who knows what else to other octopeds by flashing color. The rapid color change is so fast and versitile that I think that if you could clone octopus skin, and create a digital interface to it, you could use it as a living computer montior.

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But its not really a tool though is it?

Its just taking shelter.

Contrast that with an otter than uses a rock to open clams.

Compare it to the recent excitement when an ape was found to stockpile throwing stones for later use. The key cognitive steps are creating abstractions of the usefulness of the object, and of a not-here-not-now situation, and putting the two together.

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Mmmm... I just don't see it as that different from hiding under a rock. Or the humble hermit crab.

They're ambush predators and from the looks of the video there isn't much cover to be found in that lagoon, until people started tossing halves of coconut shells in.

If they built a man made reef in there i'm sure plenty of animals would flock to it and put it to use.

That said i've always had the impression that squids and such are more intelligent than some people believe.

I'm just not convinced that this qualifies as "tool use".

But they wouldn't try to make a reef out of the stuff that they've already got.

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Octopeds are very bright indeed. The color-changers have to fire a lot of nureons really fast to control all those 'pixels' all over their body. That takes processing power. As does coordinating 8 legs studed with 10s of thousands of sensors.

They are reported to be on a par with dogs, anyway, in their ability in the lab to sort and remember colors and shapes.

This news story highlights ways that octopeds confined in acquariums seem smart to people...

Crafty octopuses keep kids, caretakers entertained

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