Biologist Mark Norman found octopuses (octopi?) off the coast of Indonesia that use split open coconut shells as hiding places. This is the first known tool use by an invertebrate animal:
An octopus would dig up the two halves of a coconut shell, then use them as protective shielding when stopping in exposed areas or when resting in sediment.
This, on its own, astonished the team. Then they noticed that the octopuses, after using the coconut shells, would arrange them neatly below the centers of their bodies and "walk" around with the shells—awkwardly.
It's uncertain whether these were African or European coconuts. Video at the link.
Link | Photo: Roger Steene
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How is this different from hermit crabs and coconut crabs? Is the difference that an octopus is squishy and cuter than this http://blog.rifftrax.com/wp-content/photos/coconut_crab.jpg ? (Please note: coconut crabs have outgrown their coconut-wearing stage by the time they are that big)
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It seems to me that not only are the octopodes smart enough to use tools, but they are smart enough to develop the classic Freudian malady, Shell Envy. As a mollusc, at one point in their life history they had a shell, but it has receded into nothingness. Ashamed of their lack, they must make due with artificial substitutes.
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I remember seeing a show on octopus on PBS that showed these wee little ones doing this in erm.. some area that I forgot. It was this big open area w/ nowhere to hide so they used whatever they could find. Some dragged along bottles and hid in them.
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I call shenanigans. I'm a diver and I've been observing and photographing this behavior for years, it's not rare at all.
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Yay! I love octopuses :D Wish we had the money for a salt water aquarium and find some place that sold the little bitty ones. Too bad they don't live for very long though :(
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