Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus (AP)
rattler
Active member
...well, I have *no* doubt octopus are as intelligent as the average dog. I have 3 under rocks in shallow water right in front of my house currently (they only live 2-4 yrs), and the neighbour kids (as my daughter did some yrs ago) have trained them to greet them, to climb their arms on one side, pass over the shoulder (out of the water as it is only to the hip) and go down the other side. Or, to take the snorkel and wave outside of the water with it.
They distinct persons easily (it is the masks and shnorkels really, if we exchange them we get the different behaviour associated to the mask/snorkel combo).
Personally I believe to have detected that they even have a crtain sense of humor even:
Every now and then a lonely girl passes in front of my house (only access to the bay), and I can predict what happens more than often, and we are already waiting for it when we see it:
Girl sits on a rock in the shallow water, with their feet in the water, and then, seems to be a lot of fun for them, the resident pulpo (octopus) touches their legs with his arms and grabs an ankle
... Result: Shrill shreaks donw there at the beach, a girl performing a dance on the rock with an octopus on his foot, and then the octopus lets go and goes flying... Usually takes him 2 days to take up position again, until next time... Strangely they do it only to girls, I can hold my ugly feet into the water as long as I want and they ignore them...
Since about 5 yrs I do not hunt or eat them anymore, they really behave intelligently and as they are at the point of extinction I give them the break (calamar is a different story, dumb as dumb can be methinks).
Rattler
They distinct persons easily (it is the masks and shnorkels really, if we exchange them we get the different behaviour associated to the mask/snorkel combo).
Personally I believe to have detected that they even have a crtain sense of humor even:
Every now and then a lonely girl passes in front of my house (only access to the bay), and I can predict what happens more than often, and we are already waiting for it when we see it:
Girl sits on a rock in the shallow water, with their feet in the water, and then, seems to be a lot of fun for them, the resident pulpo (octopus) touches their legs with his arms and grabs an ankle
... Result: Shrill shreaks donw there at the beach, a girl performing a dance on the rock with an octopus on his foot, and then the octopus lets go and goes flying... Usually takes him 2 days to take up position again, until next time... Strangely they do it only to girls, I can hold my ugly feet into the water as long as I want and they ignore them... Since about 5 yrs I do not hunt or eat them anymore, they really behave intelligently and as they are at the point of extinction I give them the break (calamar is a different story, dumb as dumb can be methinks).
Rattler
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