In a 2009 paper in Current Biology, biologists at Museum Victoria in Australia studied the coconut octopus’s behavior and described its uniqueness: “The discovery of this octopus tiptoeing across the seafloor with its prized coconut shells suggests that even marine invertebrates engage in behaviors that we once thought the preserve of humans.”Įvery day we track down a Video Wonder: an audiovisual offering that delights, inspires, and entertains. However, the coconut octopus’ distinct way of picking up shell halves and waddling around with them under its tentacles for later use sets the species apart from others. Using shells and objects found on the ocean floor for protection is quite common among octopuses (although scientists have long debated whether the animals are using them as tools). Coconut octopuses can be spotted clunking down the sloping, rocky terrain of the western Pacific Ocean floor. As the video above shows, this fuchsia-veined cephalopod squeezes each of its six-inch-long tentacles around its three-inch body, forming a tight ball that fits snugly inside two halves of a coconut shell.
#Coconut octopus cracked#
Archived from the original on August 15, 2011.Who would have thought a couple of coconut shells would be a smooth way to travel?Īmphioctopus marginatus, commonly known as the coconut octopus, has cracked open the power of the coconut. "Indonesia's veined octopus 'stilt walks' to collect coconut shells". "A tool-wielding octopus? This invertebrate builds armor from coconut halves". "Aussie scientists find coconut-carrying octopus". (2009), "Defensive tool use in a coconut-carrying octopus", Curr. Full: Underwater Bipedal Locomotion by Octopuses in Disguise, Science, March 25, 2005.
The authors discovered this behavior in an area off Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the sandy bottom was littered with coconut shells.
It is one of only two octopus species known to display such behavior, the other species being Abdopus aculeatus.
marginatus was reported to show bipedal locomotion. In March 2005, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, published an article in Science in which A. It frequently buries itself in the sand with only its eyes uncovered. The coconut octopus is found on sandy bottoms in bays or lagoons. Small (4-5 cm diameter) individual using a nut shell and clam shell as shelter
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