Walking octopuses

March 30, 2005 12:06 PM

Camouflaged and Walking octopuses Octopus marginatus and Octopus (Abdopus) aculeatus, that walk along the seafloor using two alternating arms and apparently use the remaining six arms for camouflage.
posted by dov3 (23 comments total)

this is pretty damned amazing to see. i get a little misty every time i think of how much we don't understand about the two-thirds of this planet that are covered by water, and these guys up the amazement-ante considerably... as previously i had not been aware of the UNDERWATER OCTOPUS NINJAS.

what do these things eat?
posted by radiosilents at 12:17 PM on March 30, 2005

cool!
posted by bashos_frog at 12:19 PM on March 30, 2005

It thinks it's people!
posted by hydrophonic at 12:22 PM on March 30, 2005

Via Monkeyfilter?
posted by klangklangston at 12:26 PM on March 30, 2005

i can't wait for octopus clubbing season.
posted by quonsar at 12:27 PM on March 30, 2005

They can open jars as well.

And they're delicious, especially when prepared on a hibachi (charcoal-fired BBQ).
posted by clevershark at 12:29 PM on March 30, 2005

I for one welcome .......... ah, nevermind.
posted by devbrain at 12:39 PM on March 30, 2005

This was on the local news last week in San Francisco, they had the video footage and they can really move. Word is, it is a way to get away from predators.
posted by gunthersghost at 2:14 PM on March 30, 2005

Speaking of opening jars, octopi supposedly have “minds” (well, nerve bundles) embedded in their arms. The brain sends the command to move (or run about like a coconut) and the information on how to actually carry out the movement is in the nerve cluster in the arm.

Cephalopods are cool. And, of course, any thread on this topic should include a cry to save the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.
posted by Staggering Jack at 2:19 PM on March 30, 2005

With but a little bit of work on the posters part this could of gone from lame to good. For example links about the sex habits ofthe creature.
posted by berek at 2:23 PM on March 30, 2005

Screw dolphins (no, not that way)... Cephalopods are teh shit!
posted by pmbuko at 2:27 PM on March 30, 2005

That is so cool! (I just blew 15 minutes of my employer's time...)
posted by small_ruminant at 2:46 PM on March 30, 2005

Both of the page title and the article title from the first link are awesome: Octopus Afoot and Underwater Bipedal Locomotion by Octopuses in Disguise

(the former begs an exclamation point and the latter a Transformers reference)
posted by themadjuggler at 3:14 PM on March 30, 2005

Vampire bats are making a run for it, too.
posted by notmydesk at 3:21 PM on March 30, 2005

Why I Love MetaFilter, volume N: Walking octopus movies.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:22 PM on March 30, 2005

Are we sure these aren't just like handicapped octopies? Maybe it got in a bad accident and broke 6 tentacles. It's a possibility!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 3:43 PM on March 30, 2005

I believe someone posted some videos of their amazing colour/texture changing abilities sometime in the past?
posted by imaswinger at 3:51 PM on March 30, 2005

Are we sure these aren't just like handicapped octopies?

The preferred term is, I believe, "differently tentacled."
posted by BT at 6:50 PM on March 30, 2005

More info here

(via The Octopus News Magazine Online)
posted by UbuRoivas at 7:12 PM on March 30, 2005

This makes me happy. Thanks.
posted by picea at 6:03 AM on March 31, 2005

.... videos of their amazing colour/texture changing abilities sometime in the past?

Yup, I think you mean this video of Octopus vulgaris "camera approaching coral with no sign of animal. As the camera gets closer, an O. vulgaris that was camouflaged changes color to white and becomes visible." from the Invisible octopi thread.
posted by dabitch at 6:44 AM on March 31, 2005

Damn - invisible stalking octopi (sic?) freak me the hell out. I was reading recently that cephalopod intelligence is certainly the highest amongst all invertebrates and they actually show signs of observational learning which may well mark them as being as intelligent as some mammals.
posted by longbaugh at 8:05 AM on March 31, 2005

Don't you know the designers at LucasFilms are wishing they had thought of this first?
posted by ancientgower at 9:46 AM on March 31, 2005