#common octopus

Marinetober day 11: common octopus

Tags

Endless Ocean Luminous, Nintendo Switch

what is the pattern in this eclectic group of creature tags? well... they all have internal memos connected to them which imply they were meant to depict a creature that wasn't included in the final game!

 The tiger puffer tag's memo reads "イソギンチャク", or "sea anemone"

 The Kidako moray tag's memo reads "ウミウシ", or "sea slug"

 The longtooth grouper's tag memo reads "グッピー", or "guppy"

 The Japanese spider crab tag's memo reads "クリオネ", or "sea angel"

 The giant isopod tag's memo reads "タコ", or "octopus"

 The Moorish idol tag's memo reads "ヒトデ", or "starfish"

 The red sea bream tag's memo reads "ほら貝", or "Triton's trumpet" (a large species of sea snail)

 The polka-dot stingray tag's memo reads "ホタテ貝", or "Japanese scallop"

I finally finished the book I’ve been reading all year: Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith. Most of it was read in the past few weeks, since I deleted Instagram and Facebook. I’ve swapped endless scrolling for turning pages and typing notes on my phone. I even started another book yesterday (non-science related) and finished it today. Now I’m onto The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman.

In perfect timing, I also saw my first octopus the other day. I didn’t have my camera with me, and before heading out onto the reef, I told Bianca that we were going to see something cool. I didn’t expect to be right. Watching the octopus shift colours was incredible. It melted into the reef so seamlessly that we kept losing track of it, only noticing its position again when it moved. I noted the spot where we saw it and hope to check back soon. Maybe I’ll even have my own My Octopus Teacher moment.

Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris), the species I saw on Danjugan Island

What struck me while reading Other Minds was how learning about the mind of another species helps you understand your own. The book focuses on cephalopods, “evolution’s only experiment in big brains outside the vertebrates.” It’s fascinating to read a scientific text written by a philosopher. Scientists tend to avoid speculation; philosophers live in it. Godfrey-Smith asks why largely solitary animals, apart from during mating, still show such curiosity and engagement with divers. They recognise faces, play, and even show mischief; one octopus was described as jet-propelling water at a specific researcher.

He describes the octopus’s skin as “a high-res video screen,” capable of rippling with colour depending on mood, even though they are mostly colour-blind. How can they match colours they cannot see? He discusses studies showing that some species have photoreceptor genes active in their skin, meaning they may “see” through their bodies in a way we can hardly imagine.

Godfrey-Smith argues that intelligence on Earth evolved twice, along entirely separate paths — one leading to vertebrates, the other to cephalopods. Despite sharing a common ancestor over 600 million years ago, the two nervous systems diverged dramatically. An octopus’s body seems to think for itself; its arms act almost independently, with the central brain guiding rather than controlling. It’s as if the octopus is both conductor and orchestra, steering a body that makes its own decisions.

They are among the most intelligent animals on Earth, yet most live only two to four years. Their intelligence feels instinctive, built-in rather than learned. It’s both fascinating and a little sad; such extraordinary minds, given so little time.

I could write pages more, but I’ll stop there. It’s a book I’ll return to, especially since I started it way back in January. I’ll end my mini review with one of my favourite quotes:

I'm a sucker for you <3

Common octopus

Sea Life Helsinki

Common octopus

Silver moonyfish

Sea goldie

Porkfish

Stripey