Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters

Courtesy of Jahnna Rymer:

title: Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters

by Andy Coghlan

Source : WWW.NEWSCIENTIST. COM

Octopuses have been using coconut shells as a guarding place to keep them save. This is the first attempt of tool use seen by scientists in invertebrate animals. People living in Indonesian coastal villages discard coconut shells into the sea after use. When the octopuses come across these on the seabed, they drape their bodies over and around the shells, hollow-side up, leaving their eight arms dangling over the edges. The octopuses then lift the shells by making their arms rigid, before tiptoeing away in a maneuver. When the octopuses feel threatened, they flip the half shells over themselves and hide.

Finn the scientist, who made this study, argues that the behavior qualifies as tool use for a number of reasons. “First, he states that the shells are not permanent homes like those occupied by hermit crabs, but are carried around for future use. Also, it is a costly behavior for the octopus, both in terms of energy use and in potentially making the octopuses more vulnerable to attack.” The only issue with this assumption is that, there are uncertainties about whether the octopuses have learned this behavior by observing others, or by working it out for themselves in each case. "The finding is remarkable, particularly as the octopus transports the tool for future use," says Christopher Bird of Imperial College London, who studies tool use in rooks. "But simply observing tool use in the wild doesn't necessarily mean that the animal is cognitively sophisticated, as we don't know how the behavior developed."

This is an important article because it shows how many humans are affecting animals with contamination of the planet. It is also very important because it allows us to see how marine animals are becoming used to the contaminants that are placed In the ocean. Although marine animals might seem to be adapting to the changes in the ecosystem and to the things we throw in the ocean it is not a good thing to have, even if the octopus makes a good use of it. This scientific discovery allows for both an awareness of the magnificence and intelligence of organisms as well the environmental awareness of how our actions are affecting all organisms that live on the planet.