This amazing footage shows an octopus engaging in a remarkably human-like walk.
This unique octopus does something several other deep sea creatures in its environment can be observed doing: carrying the shells of coconuts and other paraphernalia as they “walk” about the ocean floor.
Amusing and bizarre as this behavior may seem, it turns out it’s all part of a pretty smart strategy. Some octopuses actually collect discarded coconut shells to use as protective shelters in open areas of sea bed where they would otherwise be vulnerable to predators.
The smart cephalopods hide under the shells — or if they have two halves like the one in this video, they’ll even climb inside and close both pieces together!
Could this be considered tool use, something usually considered a uniquely human trait?
Marine biologist James Wood told National Geographic that, “if you’re going to say [the coconut-carrying octopus is] tool use, then anything that carries or uses another object for protection would then be using tools,” he says. “You have to draw the line somewhere.”
What do you think?
The footage shows the small octopus “carrying two halves of a coconut in its ‘arms’ and using its other tentacles like legs to walk along the ocean floor. The Amphioctopus marginatus species is best known as the ‘coconut octopus’ because of its habit of using coconuts and shells to protect itself,” as described by Newsflare.
Video:
Here’s another cool sighting of an octopus moseying across the ocean floor with a shell:
