Aussie Scientists Find Coconut-Carrying Octopus 205
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from an AP report: "Australian scientists have discovered an octopus in Indonesia that collects coconut shells for shelter — unusually sophisticated behavior that the researchers believe is the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate animal. The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot. ... 'I was gobsmacked,' said Finn, a research biologist at the museum who specializes in cephalopods. 'I mean, I've seen a lot of octopuses hiding in shells, but I've never seen one that grabs it up and jogs across the sea floor. I was trying hard not to laugh.'"
What do you mean? (Score:5, Funny)
But.... (Score:4, Funny)
This is a temperate zone, the coconut's tropical.
Not only that .... (Score:5, Funny)
Ok... I'll do it. (Score:5, Funny)
I for one welcome our quasi-migratory cephalopod overlords. The African Swallow has been sacked.
African or European? (Score:4, Funny)
Call me surprised.. (Score:4, Funny)
This will be news when they find an African or European swallow doing the same thing.
I was gob smacked too! (Score:2, Funny)
hurt like the dickens and I felt like I was going to cry, laugh, and trow up all at the same time too!
Re:What do you mean? (Score:2, Funny)
Is it an African or a European octopus?
What? I don't know that! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
vertebracentricity, and 8-arm outsourcing (Score:5, Funny)
Octopuses and their relatives have been surprising researchers for quite a while. They can show some remarkable intelligence. Us vertebrates have competition. The squishy ones have brains too.
They have a partially-decentralized brain, which makes for some interesting potential multi-core sci-fi: Planet of the Squids kind of stuff. And if they ever learn to type, they'll be four times more productive than us, maybe even more if a suction-cup-friendly keyboard/mouse is invented :-)
Re:Intelligent (Score:2, Funny)
Indeed, they were originally designed to carry such items 6000 years ago.
Give Ginger and MaryAnn a big hug (Score:2, Funny)
It's The Professor, he's been reincarnated! Now he can finish that coconut-shell nuclear reactor that Gilligan kept breaking.
Re:Evidence of considerable cleverness... (Score:2, Funny)
Are you sure you're not describing slashdotters?
Re:Video (Score:5, Funny)
There are apparently more videos on youtube
there are videos on youtube?!? i call bs.
Re:Not funny? (Score:3, Funny)
While he may be a perfectly sensitive, metrosexual kind of guy, the immediate problem is that he was diving with SCUBA gear. Full out ROTFL in a SCUBA set can be a bit problematic. Deep gasps of water can ruin your day.
Feh! He obviously has inferior equipment! He obviously needs a ROFL-capable set of SCUBA gear!
Re:vertebracentricity, and 8-arm outsourcing (Score:1, Funny)
Us vertebrates have competition
Apparently they're already more advanced than we at grammar.
Indonesian octopi find tool using Aussie scientist (Score:5, Funny)
I for one welcome... (Score:4, Funny)
I for one welcome our undersea, coconut wielding, overlords.
There's been a few documentaries on the Discovery channel where they've not only mention how intelligent they were, but even suggested they might have emotions.
Re:Not funny? (Score:5, Funny)
To be fair, one is very unlikely to be ROTFL in SCUBA gear. Far more likely is to be FITDL (Flailing In The Deep Laughing).
Especially so if you screw up the gas mixture in your tank.
Re:Ok... I'll do it. (Score:0, Funny)
I had an african swallow once... once, then she went home.
Re:African or European? (Score:5, Funny)
octopuses (octopi?)
octopussies
So? (Score:3, Funny)
Is it an African or a European octopus?
You've got two empty 'alves of an octopus and you're bangin' em together!
CLIP CLOP (Score:3, Funny)
He was using them to make the CLIP-CLOP sound effect for the new theater play his "School" is putting on. The Headless Sea Horse.
Re:Intelligent (Score:3, Funny)
I once had a pet octopus. It was small about the size of a fist all curled up. It was always moving things around the tank and rebuilding his or her stone "house".
Aw, that's cute... Just like bunnies!
Re:Not funny? (Score:3, Funny)
Well, you definitely don't want to piss off an octopus that smart.
Laugh while you can. (Score:5, Funny)
You're laughing now. Just wait until Cthulhu returns.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn (Score:5, Funny)
I'a! I'a! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
Re:Octopus & the Goldfish (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Evidence of considerable cleverness... (Score:5, Funny)
What you say is true until Cthulhu rises again.
Re:Video (Score:0, Funny)
Q: What do you get if you mix a Mexican and an octopus?
A: I don't know, but it sure can pick a lot of broccoli!
Re:Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fht (Score:5, Funny)
Stop talking while you are chewing your food.
-- Mother
Re:Video (Score:2, Funny)
Just wait 'til they find the sunken ships... they'll build a navy!
Re:What do you mean? (Score:5, Funny)
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Halt! Who goes there?
PULPO: It is I, Pulpo, son of Leggus Tentaclus, from the castle
of Cephalot. King of the Invertebrates, defeator of the Squid, sovereign
of all the Ocean!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Pull the other one!
PULPO: I am. And this my trusty servant Sucksy.
We have ridden the length and breadth of the ocean floor in search of invertebrates
who will join me in my court of Cephalot. I must speak with your lord
and master.
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: What, ridden on a horse?
PULPO: Yes!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: You're using coconuts!
PULPO: What?
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: You've got two empty halves of coconut and you're bangin'
'em together.
PULPO: So? We have ridden since the Titanic sunk onto this
land, through the kingdom of Laurentian, through--
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Where'd you get the coconut?
PULPO: We found them.
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Found them? In the Laurentian Abyss? The coconut's tropical!
PULPO: What do you mean?
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Well, this is a temperate zone.
PULPO: The dolphin may swim south with the sun or the humpback whale may seek
warmer climes in winter yet these are not strangers to our land.
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
PULPO: Not at all, they could be carried.
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: What -- a dolphin carrying a coconut?
PULPO: It could grip it by the husk using its blowhole!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple
question of grasping ability! A dolphin has no means to carry a 1 pound
coconut.
PULPO: Well, it doesn't matter. Will you go and tell your master
that Pulpo from the Court of Cephalot is here.
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Listen, in order to maintain the ability to breathe,
a dolphin needs to keep its blowhole free from obstruction, right?
PULPO: Please!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Am I right?
PULPO: I'm not interested!
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: It could be carried by a Great White shark!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: Oh, yeah, a Great White shark maybe, but not a dolphin,
that's my point.
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: Oh, yeah, I agree with that...
PULPO: Will you ask your master if he wants to join my court at Cephalot?!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: But then of course Great White sharks are not migratory.
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: Oh, yeah...
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: So they couldn't bring a coconut back anyway...
[clop clop]
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: Wait a minute -- supposing two dolphins carried it together?
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: No, they'd have to have it on a line.
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: Well, simple! They'd just use the stipe of a bull whip kelp!
OCTOPUS GUARD #1: What, tied to the dorsal fins?
OCTOPUS GUARD #2: Well, why not?
Re:Video (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What do you mean? (Score:3, Funny)
Albatross!
Re:Intelligent (Score:3, Funny)
"Think about what it was doing while you weren't watching. Think about it!!!"
Well, it does have 4 right hands. That leaves 4 left hands to type with.