Silly question. Can octopi see and comprehend watching a video?
Posted by StaffVegetable8703@reddit | marinebiology | View on Reddit | 8 comments
Like could you put some sort of screen close enough to the tank and they could actually see it and somewhat understand what they see? Like can they make the shapes out and such? I have reason for asking this haha.
BrewingSkydvr@reddit
For future reference, if you care, the plural of octopus is octopuses.
For real.
insert_title_here@reddit
Octopuses is correct, etymologically speaking (as is octopodes), but language being a living and growing thing as it is, there's an argument to be made that octopi is also valid--especially considering that despite octopus being a Greek word, its journey to the English language was long and arduous, having spent quite some time in the New Latin lexicon. That's likely where it picked up its oldest recorded plural form, octopi, from.
tony-thot@reddit
I raise you Octopodes
tony-thot@reddit
Octopus have excellent vision so yes I believe they would be able to see the video. Would they understand it’s a video or be able to comprehend the images? No clue.
StaffVegetable8703@reddit (OP)
Theoretically, if they could process what they are seeing, could you show a video of a different octopus completing different tasks and then set up that same task (that has never been done with the original octopus) and see if they are quicker at figuring out the “puzzle” maybe have another one who didn’t see the video and time the difference between the two?
Repeat this test with multiple different octopi and see if the results are consistent?
I ask this because one of the huge limitations to the octopus’s amazing intelligence is that they have no way to pass on the life experience of an adult onto their offspring. So with each new generation, they have to figure the exact same things out by themselves. I wonder if this could impact that limitation even if it’s only in a small way
timboslice23@reddit
You trying to teach octopus out here? A reverse my octopus teacher situation?
insert_title_here@reddit
My octopus student! How delightful.
thedinosaurparade@reddit
Hello,
I’m a graduate student studying Octopus Visual Perception—I particularly am looking at how the aspects of contrast and posture of conspecifics may impact one another. That is to say: I have done a little bit of research into both your “large-scale, pro-social” question, and the region of their one-shot, visual learning.
Overall you have to make sure that you are working with a group in which an octopus observing another would actually/potentially think to learn from its conspecific in whatever task was performed. Given many octopuses will eat one another, outcompete one another, or are seeking other octopuses for mating reasons, there isn’t much appeal to an octopus to “watch and learn” from another re: puzzles.
All that is to address that you won’t need an octopus to see another octopus doing it, because with appropriate training and conditioning you can just show them yourself (i.e. if I solved the puzzle in front of the octopus, they would potentially learn, and don’t need me to be an octopus to learn from—this stems in part from them being mostly solitary and not learning from other octopus naturally).
If your interested in more prosocial, even communal octopus behavior, then check out Gloomy Octopus aggregations out of Australia, or look into Pygmy Zebra Octopus (non-cannibalistic species that is being “generationally-bred” by a gentleman named Brett Grasse in Wood’s Hole).
Let me know if you have any further inquiries!