Inside the Mind of the Octopus: Eight Arms, Three Hearts

Common octopus on the sea floor with arms spread — The common octopus: eight arms, three hearts and a distributed nervous system. Photo: albert kok — CC BY-SA 3.0

An octopus runs on roughly 500 million neurons, pumps blue blood with three hearts, and can taste with its skin. Here is what researchers have managed to piece together about one of the strangest minds in the sea.

Octopus camouflaged against rock — Octopuses change both colour and skin texture to disappear against rock and coral. Photo: albert kok — CC BY-SA 3.0

Open the article in Zoo magazine →

Photography credits: albert kok (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons