-
ScienceBiologyOctopuses Like to Punch Fish, New Research Suggests
Upsetting but strangely satisfying new research documents octopuses punching fish during collaborative feeding sessions. The octopuses primarily do it for practical reasons, but sometimes these underwater jabs seem to be purely spiteful. We learned so many disturbing things this year, and we regretfully have to add another item to the list: Octopuses like to punch … Continued
-
ScienceBiologyResearchers Finally Figured Out How Octopuses Taste With Their Arms
Octopuses, with their eight suction-cup-covered arms, can taste objects simply by touching them. A team of researchers has finally figured out how these cephalopods are capable of pulling off this remarkable trick. The octopus is a marvel of the biological world. They’re super smart, excellent problem solvers, and even a bit mischievous. These cephalopods have … Continued
-
EartherThat Adorable Baby Octopus Is Actually a Pea-Sized Killer [Updated]
An image of a pea-sized cephalopod captured by a team of scientists in Hawaii has been making the rounds this week as the result of how cute this tiny squish appears at first glance. But make no mistake, even a baby octopus can be a cold-hearted killer—and there’s photographic evidence to prove it. The image … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Earther‘Ghostly’ Dumbo Octopus Makes Hypnotizing Appearance in New Deep-Sea Footage
A so-described “ghostly” cephalopod put its deep-sea acrobatics on full display this week after it was captured by researchers in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in what the team says is a previously unexplored area. The creature is part of a genus known as Grimpoteuthis and is sometimes referred to as a dumbo octopus … Continued
By Catie Keck -
ScienceBiology
Why Female Octopuses Self-Destruct After Laying Eggs
For a female octopus, the laying of eggs signifies the beginning of the end. Like a devoted hen, she’ll guard her brood, stroking the eggs and occasionally blowing water at them, but she won’t abandon them—not even for a second. She’ll grab a welcome snack if the opportunity presents itself, but after four days or … Continued
-
Tech NewsOctopuses on Ecstasy, Weight-Loss Scams, and Neutron Stars: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
The tech and science world has had a very interesting week: Researchers have discovered what happens when you give our favorite tentacled, ocean-dwelling friends MDMA, landed rovers on asteroids, confirmed the oldest known animal fossil on the planet, and found something very weird going on with a distant neutron star. At the same time, the … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceBiologyScientists Gave MDMA to Octopuses—and What Happened Was Profound
When humans take the drug MDMA, versions of which are known as molly or ecstasy, they commonly feel very happy, extraverted, and particularly interested in physical touch. A group of scientists recently wondered whether this drug might have a similar effect on other species—specifically, octopuses, which are seemingly as different from humans as an animal … Continued
-
EartherEarth ScienceEverything About This Newly-Discovered Octopus Nursery Is Wild
Scientists have made a truly bizarre discovery on an expanse of cooled lava 150 miles west of Costa Rica and nearly two miles underwater. There, they laid eyes on more than a hundred female octopuses, tending to eggs that didn’t seem to be growing in water that seemed too warm for their liking. Deep sea … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
Octopus-Inspired Materials Could One Day Save Your Life
Evolution has already solved many of the challenges engineers are confronted with on a daily basis. Think about octopuses, for example. We frequently report on soft robotics here at Gizmodo. Octopuses are essentially brilliant, eight-armed soft robots. So when it comes to solving other underwater challenges, like adhesives staying sticky underwater, a team of researchers … Continued
-
Tech NewsThis Elusive Giant Octopus Snacks on Giant Jellies
The giant deep-sea octopus Haliphron is so rare that marine biologists have seen it just three times in 27 years. Using a robotic sub, scientists have finally caught video footage of this animal at mealtime—revealing its distinct preference for gelatinous sea creatures. A new study published in Scientific Reports is providing the first observational evidence … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Octopus Eyes Are Crazier Than We Imagined
As if we needed more evidence that cephalopods are on the verge of a global uprising that will end in humanity’s destruction, our favorite tentacled invertebrates appear to have an insane visual system that allows them to perceive color despite being technically colorblind. This, along with distributed brains and the ability to bust out of … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
io9Get a Load of This Goddamn Sneaky Octopus
Cephalopod experts at UC Berkeley have discovered that the larger Pacific striped octopus—seen here outstretched—employs a rare hunting strategy. Instead of pouncing on its prey with all eight arms (a common technique among octopuses), it extends a single limb, like a grabby toddler, and startles its prey into clutches. Below, you can watch the octopus … Continued
-
ScienceBiology
Octopus Senses Light With Its Skin, No Eyes Required
We already knew cephalopods are amazing creatures—how many of us can go from colored to invisible in a blink? Hell, octopuses can even operate cameras. Still, sensing light with one’s skin is a pretty impressive trick, even for the rock stars of the invertebrate world. And yet, as we’re now discovering, the octopus can do … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
io9Watch This Octopus Unscrew The Lid Of A Jar (From Inside The Jar)
As though the case for octopus intelligence wasn’t strong enough already, check out the moves on this eight-limbed beastie. With a few deft turns of its tentacles, it manages to unscrew the lid of its enclosure from the inside. Pretty sure this octopus is just flexing its muscles, though. After removing the lid, he seems … Continued
-
io9
Do Want: Handmade Octopus Tentacle Jewelry
Kaity O’Shea is a Los Angeles based artist who loves making badass tentacle jewelry out of polymer clay. Seriously, her work is kind of fantastic. These pictures of items from her collection come from O’Shea’s DeviantART page, but you can score something for yourself on her Etsy and Facebook pages. Personally, we’re rather fond of … Continued
-
io9
Detached octopus arms show awareness, react to danger
It’s further evidence that octopus intelligence is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Their arms continue to remain alert, reacting to pain, long after they have been removed from the body of the octopus. This isn’t just post-mortem twitching — the tentacles are aware of their environment, and responding to danger. Over at Scientific American, Katherine … Continued
