Just how smart of an animal is the octopus?

Question

Are they biologically capable of complex thought and reasoning? Should we be trying to communicate with them or teach them sign language or something? If octopi were longer lived and social organisms, would they be building cities and discussing philosophy? Is it ethical for some people to eat octopus meat?

Answer 1

It seems the octopus undeniably has excellent navigational skills and predatory tactics that indicate intelligence. What is not universally agreed upon is whether they are as capable of observational learning as skeptics of cephalopod intelligence doubt. The ability to change color also denotes intellect to cephalopod enthusiasts as it would require careful observations of the environment to achieve the desired color change for camouflage purposes.

Toward the second part of the question it is a bit early to think about an octopus civilization at this juncture in their evolution. Perhaps once they learn to use fire and the wheel, and develop a written language, if ever, these considerations can be addressed.

Answer 2

They are quite capable of reasoning. Read below. I remember the Cousteau film from many years ago, what the paragraph doesn't tell you is that it took the octopus several hours.

"Cephalopod intelligence has not been extensively investigated,
but a few controlled experiments indicate rapid learning in small
octopus [Boycott]. A Jacques Cousteau film shows an octopus' response to a "monkey and bananas" problem. A fishbowl containing a lobster is sealed with a cork and dropped into the water near it. The octopus is attracted, and spends a long while alternately probing the container in various ways and returning to its lair in iridescent frustration. On the final iteration it exits its little hole in the ground and unhesitatingly wraps three tentacles around the bowl, and one about the cork, and pulls. The cork shoots to the surface and the octopus eats. The Time-Life film contains a similar sequence, with a screw top instead of a cork!"

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Answer 3

They haven't shown any known ability to have an octopus language, but they're pretty smart compared to other invertibrates. The cleverest trick I've heard of an octopus learning is how to unscrew a jar lid. I'd guess their intelligence is somewhere at least at the same level as rats or mice, maybe as clever as a racoon or weasel. But they're probably below chimps or gorillas.

Answer 4

They are very smart. If you keep it in open glass tank and keep it's prey in another open glasss tank a couple of feet from each other, the octopus has the ability to find it's way to the prey's tank.

Now my question; is it fair to the lesser intelligent animals to be eaten because their intelligence don't measure up, if indeed it is not ethical to eat otopus meat?

Answer 5

Cephalapods in general are very intelligent. Some species of squid can communicate by changing colors. However I don't believe they are smart enough to develop cities and cultures, even if they were longer lived.

http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=493

Enjoy

Answer 6

These are some pretty nice koans you've written. You should meditate upon them and tell us what you come up with.

Answer 7

very